Once and Future Witches
by minorshan
Summary: The Charmed Ones destiny is threatened by an ancient demon outside time.The sisters & Chris, must travel to the past to,but can they work with Prue & their past selves, without changing the present? Will they want to? Now fully illustrated! Details inside
1. Intro and Prologue

**Author's Notes:** For new readers, read these notes for info on the improved version of this fic. I **highly** recommend reading the revised/fixed/illustrated version on my own site! Click on my profile for the link or follow the one below. Check out the photos that go with the fic, they're fun, and like having screencaps for an episode that never happened.

I fixed all the typos that were in the version posted here, and expanded some chapters/scenes. More fun though, is that I have added illustrations! I photoshopped at least 1 re-creation of a scene in the fic per chapter, often more. So, if you ever wanted to see Prue and Paige bonding, or many other things that happen in this fic, please check it out. I'd **love **some feedback on whether this little experiment is something people would be interested in seeing with future fics. I may also do the photoshopping for other people.

I didn't want to spam everyone with "new" chapters though, so if you'd like to re-read or check out the new content, either follow the link on my profile page, or copy/paste the link below, removing the DOT with a period. There are also Word Doc and PDF versions of the fic if you're interested in reading it offline.

deskravenDOTweeblyDOTcom/fictionDOThtml

**Original ****Author's Notes: **This is set about a year after the series finale. I've assumed that after the final battle Phoebe has earned back her powers of levitation and empathy (after all, it's more fun that way!) The past is set between episodes "Morality Bites" and "The Painted World". Of course, please review! I'll reply to any questions/comments in future updates, and it keeps an author motivated, right? Rest assured, this_ will _be finished!

**Prologue**

Outside time, hidden from the earthly plane, he had watched, waiting. He had created his home, this pocket realm, ages ago and it had served him well. If not for the irises of his eyes, he would have looked unassuming for a being of great power. He appeared to be a small, shabbily kept middle-aged man, that no human would give a second thought to if they were to pass him on the street. But the last time he had been outside this realm there had been no streets for a mortal to pass him on. He had seen the birth of so-called civilization, begun only a few centuries before sealing himself here. But despite being trapped alone he had never been lonely. Partly because he was a demon, but also because his home afforded him windows unlike any on the earthly plane. It was through these that he had watched both the earthly and demonic world. Sometimes, when he saw the beginnings of a truly significant event he would skip to the ending, like a mortal would a book, because he simply could not wait to know the ending. But he would always go back to see how the conclusion had been reached, for the journey often told him more than the resolution ever did. He was searching for just the right moment, had been ever since he had created this place, to make his grab for ultimate power.

And now, it seemed events had aligned just so.

He waved his hand over a swirling black mass, causing it to reveal a scene from the underworld. A warlock sat in a cave, staring impatiently into a bowl of black liquid. The demon watched as his own visage appeared in the bowl. "Greetings."

"Do you have it?" replied the warlock impatiently.

"It would serve you well to let things come in their own time."

"You're one to talk, manipulating time to your own ends. Now, do you have it or not?"

The demon let his temper flare for a moment, "Do not talk to me of time! I'm at it's mercy as much as any being, perhaps more so! I have simply found a way to reach through it's depths."

"Whatever," sneered the warlock, "did you conjure it or not?" The demon dropped a silver amulet through the portal in response and watched as it popped out the bowl, floating in the viscous liquid.

"The spell is in inside. I pulled it from a shaman just moments ago. You merely need to reword it's target. Now hurry, our window of opportunity will quickly pass."

The warlock smiled wickedly, "Excellent." The image of the demon swirled into blackness again, leaving the warlock to work his dark magic.


	2. A Power Unleashed

**Chapter 1**

_June, 2007_

The sounds of The Bravery's latest hit, "Time Won't Let Me Go", wafted out the windows of the Halliwell manor on a warm Saturday afternoon. Aside from the occasional innocent to be saved from your run of the mill evil, the sisters had been demon free since the previous May, and had settled into a comfortable routine. "Hey! Check _this_ out!" exclaimed Paige. She, Piper, and Leo had been digging through a back corner of the attic in an attempt to clear some space for Paige's new reference books. She'd decided that a few of Magic School's demonology reference books could be made better use of back at the manor. The Triad may have been defeated but that didn't mean their lives would be demon-free forever. If vanquishing the Source and vanquishing him again and _again_ had taught them anything it was that where there's a void some new evil will fill it sooner or later. It sucked, but hey, it's all part if the cosmic balance.

Paige was holding an old, beat-up, and _very_ dusty hope chest. "Is this Grams' or something?" She brought it to the center of the room. Leo looked up.

"Uh, no, actually - that's mine. Some of my stuff my family packed away after I died. I retrieved it from a storage unit back in the 80's."

Page fiddled with the latch and asked, "May I?"

Leo shrugged. "Sure."

Paige opened the chest and rifled through some musty shirts and papers, finally pulling out the cap to an old army dress uniform, which she promptly placed on her head, cocked at a jaunty angle. "Whaddya think?" she said, striking a pose, her lips pursed. Piper smirked.

"Very Andrew Sisters." Paige set aside the cap and continued digging until she found a small velvet box. She popped it open. "Not exactly the kinda accessory I picture on you Leo," she said, revealing a small silver necklace with a pendant dangling from the chain.

Leo squinted his eyes at the piece of silver jewelry. A small glass vial hung on the chain, framed elegantly by the zodiac sign for a Leo. Somehow it seemed familiar, but he couldn't place how or where. "Huh. Look at this…" continued Paige, as she handed the necklace to Piper. "Looks like the Triquetra." She indicated the clasp which was indeed a facsimile of the Charmed One's Triquetra. Intrigued, Leo extended his hand towards Piper.

"Let me have a look." Piper handed it to him and he looked at it closely, shaking his head. "I don't know.. It seems familiar, but I don't remember ever – uh!" Leo winced, dropping the pendant as he grabbed his forehead. The glass vial popped out if its' silver frame.

"Honey, what is it?!" Leo winced again and crumpled to the floor, moaning.

"The pain! It's –"

"Whats wrong?! Is it your head?" asked Piper

"Hurts... all over!" he moaned, "worse... than a... than a darklighter's arrow!" His muscles were seizing and his veins appeared to throb rapidly. In a panic, Piper dropped to the floor, cradling him in a desperate attempt to ease his mysterious suffering. "Do something!" she cried to Paige.

"What?!"

"I don't know! I don't know! Just – " It was then that Paige noticed a small, yellowed piece of paper rolled up like a tiny scroll stuffed in the colored glass of the pendant's vial. It had writing on it as well as what looked to be old, dried blood.

Paige extended her hand and called "Paper!" It orbed into her waiting fingers. "It's a spell!"

Piper stroked Leo's head and with each pass of her hand more of his hair appeared to go gray. "Paige…" His hair began to thin. "Paige!" she called out. She looked up from the slip of paper, noticing the changes in Leo. It was hard to be certain, at first, through his grimaced expression but it soon became apparent that his skin was wrinkling - and fast.

"I think he's….. aging? At super speed?" surmised Paige. Immediately, Piper pulled her hand out from under his head and flicked her fingers at Leo's body, freezing him.

"Nice thinking!" said Paige in an appreciative tone.

"Thanks," replied Piper, distractedly. "But this," she gestured, frustrated, at Leo's form, "_this_ is only buying us time. We need to figure this out - _now! _Get Pheobe." Paige nodded and orbed out, returning a moment later with Phoebe.

"What's going on?" Asked Phoebe, alarmed. "Oh, my god…" she gasped, seeing Piper on the floor with Leo. "Is that Leo…?" Ignoring her question, Paige turned back to the piece of paper.

Piper took a deep breath, burying her emotions, and turned to her sister. "Okay… so what is that?" she asked, her aggravation still seeping into her voice.

Paige began to read the spell aloud but quickly thought better of it and simply passed the scrap on to her sisters. The spell appeared to be scrawled in blood, reading:

_When you touch this thing antique_

_Time will swarm you, it will pique_

_And this Wyatt I command_

_To speed through time_

'_Til he is sand_

Piper sneered, "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me… this bastards _so_ dead." As if on cue, a portal opened up on the wall revealing a man's silhouette.


	3. Questions

**Chapter 2**

Out of the portal stepped Chris Halliwell, looking very much as he had upon his last visit months earlier. "Ok, what the hell did you do this time?!"

"What did _we_ do?!" shot back Piper instinctively. Chris' face took on an expression for a moment as if to apologize but almost instantly reverted back to the look if panicked annoyance he had entered with.

Paige scrunched her eyes at Chris. "Leo's been cursed… or something. Why the hell would we do that?"

Phoebe interrupted, "Anyway, he appears the be –"

"Aging? And fast, right?" finished Chris "yeah, the same thing is happening in my time. To Wyatt. He already looks old enough to be my father!"

"Well, didn't I freeze him?" Piper blurted out in concern, realizing as it came out of her mouth that it was a stupid question, and rolled her eyes at herself.

"Yeah – well, we did use a freezing potion that Aunt Paige keeps in stock but…" Chris replied and gestured with his head towards Leo's crumpled form. It was only then that they noticed that Leo's veins were still throbbing ever so slowly and his muscle twitches now appeared to be merely flexing slowly. His writhing movements almost resembled the flapping wings of a slowed down hummingbird in one of those nature specials Piper liked to watch on a lazy Sunday. Well, if it weren't so grotesque that is.

"It can resist Piper's powers and future Paige's potion….?" Phoebe's voice betrayed her worry.

Chris cocked his head sideways at her. "It's gotta be an upper level demon." Paige scowled.

"That wrote a spell? I thought that was more a warlock thing?"

"I take it you being here means we don't know what's causing this?" interjected Piper. Chris shook his head.

"No. Or – yeah. I cast a spell to bring me to where this curse was cast – and here I am."

"Why didn't I think of that?" blurted Paige.

"You did, actually," smiled Chris. Paige smiled with pride for a brief moment before frowning in confusion again. "But why did it take you here?"

"Chris…" Piper interjected, "What were you doing when this happened?" She had shifted into intense family-saving mode.

"Well… we were sorting through some of Dad's old things – y'know, organizing, space saving, when I handed Wyatt –"

"- this?" asked Paige, picking up the pendant. Chris nodded.

"This still doesn't explain anything!" Piper exclaimed in frustration.

"Yeah…" agreed Paige. "We didn't write the spell."

"What spell?" asked Chris. Paige squinted at him.

"The one in the _vial_…" she said in an exasperated tone. "Here," she said and handed him the slip of paper. His eyes widened as he read it.

"Well, I guess that explains why only Wyatt and Dad were affected. Might be some kind of revenge spell."

"Certainly seems specific. And personal," said Phoebe.

"But who would want revenge, _magical revenge_ _no less, _on Leo back when he got all that stuff? When he was a mortal, the first time, I mean." wondered Paige aloud.

"That's what we're gonna find out." Replied Piper, tilting her head with a steely determination. "Chris, you must have come to this time because you needed the spell. Can you modify the one that brought you here to take us to the time the spell was cast?"

He nodded. "Should work."

Phoebe stepped forward, happy to have a plan of action of any kind. "I'll help."


	4. Destination? Downstairs

**Chapter 3**

Paige, meanwhile, had busied herself flipping through the Book of Shadows looking for any kind of clue as to who, or what, they were after. "Nothing! I've got nothing to go on!"

Piper, who had returned to Leo's side, looked up from his face. "No. We have a spell to go on. Since when was the last time a demon used a spell?"

Paige's face brightened. "So it's probably a warlock, right? Easy vanquish." Piper nodded. "If we can find him, anyway."

"And that's what Phoebe and Chris are _very.._. Slowly. Working on." Piper shot an impatient look at the two.

"Hey! Don't you feel that at me!" replied Phoebe, who was still readjusting to her recently regained empathy. "This has to be precise. We don't want this thing to backfire."

Piper sighed. "I know, I know. It's just…" She looked down at Leo, who was fast resembling the man she had met a few months ago in their distant future.

"I know, honey."

"Got it!" announced Chris. Phoebe looked over the verse.

"Looks good." She looked to the ceiling and called out, "Coop!"

"You rang?" Coop hearted in next to Phoebe.

"Yeah. I need you to watch the boys – and Leo" she said, nodding across the room at him. Coop's mouth dropped open slightly in surprise when he saw Piper holding a man who appeared to be decades older than her. "Don't ask." Phoebe said quickly, "if all goes well, we should be back within seconds of leaving. Well, to you anyway. If we're not back in a couple minutes you've got your ring, right?" Coop wiggled his fingers in front of his face in response and Phoebe smiled dejectedly.

"Hey…" he cupped her face. "You'll be alright. Now go – do what you need to do."

"Thanks." Phoebe gave his hand a squeeze before turning back to her sisters. "Ok, let's do this thing!"

Piper slid a fluffed quilt under Leo's head before joining her sisters at the center of the room. Chris handed each sister a slip of paper. "Ready?" She glanced at each of their faces, getting three nods in response.

"Oooh! Oh, wait!" Paige suddenly cried. She scrambled over to the potions shelf and stuffed a few vials into her purse, then scrambled over to the book, shoving it into Chris' arms. "Ok, ready! What?" she said at her sister's expressions. "Hey, pays to be prepared I always say!"

"Since when?" said Piper sardonically.

"I'm not so sure bringing the Book is a good idea," worried Phoebe. "What if something happens to it?"

"What if something happens to us?" shot back Paige. "Besides, what if we're going back to like, World War Two or something? We won't have access to it."

"Fine, whatever! Let's just go!" exclaimed Piper impatiently as she took her sister's and Chris' hands. They began reciting the spell.

_"Hear these words, hear the rhyme,_

_heed the hope within my mind, _

_send me back to where I'll find, _

_the spell that pushed Leo through time."_

A swirling mass of lights appeared with the sound of tinkling chimes and converged around the chanting witches, obscuring their vision in white. When the lights faded Coop was left alone to tend to Leo. "Good luck," said Coop to the empty space.

The glittering wind soon subsided and the girls and their nephew found themselves in- "The kitchen?" asked Paige, surprised.

"Well… I don't sense Coop or Leo. Which means we must have gone somewhere," replied Phoebe.

"More like some_time_," said Piper, bemused. "Look…" she pointed at her Grams' old cookie jar which had been destroyed in a demon attack well over 3 years ago. Fully taking in their surroundings, the sisters noticed that the whole room was subtly different from the one in the house in they'd left only moments before. The room was mostly furnished with Grams' old furniture, paintings, and knick-knacks, which had mostly been either broken in fights or stored away in the attic. "This is _not_ good," worried Piper, "If we've gone back too far we may not even know we're witches."

Paige shrugged. "So explain it to yourselves. Like you did me."

Phoebe responded with a noise. "Phhbbt! Yeah, sure. _That_ would go over well! You know how resistant to the whole idea Piper and Prue were back when we first found the book!"

Piper nodded. "And that was discovering it ourselves – not from some mystical 'us's' from the future trying to prevent disaster."

"Not to mention the _major_ future consequences of revealing magic to your past selves!" said Chris.

Paige shrugged it off. "So we wipe their memories. No muss, no fuss, no messy future!" Suddenly a vase exploded against the wall next to her head. She heard a panicky Piper shout, "They won't freeze!" Only it came from the doorway behind her. The four Halliwells flipped around to see a younger Piper and Phoebe accompanied by Prue dashing up next to them. That Piper was frantically flicking her fingers as Phoebe picked up another household item and hurled it at the intruders. As it flew at her face Paige cried, "Toaster!" and orbed it into her hands. "What kinda demon ya gonna stop with a toaster?!" she asked her Phoebe incredulously, and set it down on the counter.

Piper winced at the sight of their doubles. "Aw, crap."


	5. Unexpected Visitors

**Chapter 4**

_November, 1999._

Phoebe and Piper had just gotten home from a trip downtown when they heard feminine voices coming from the kitchen. They glanced at each other and sprang into action. They ran into the kitchen, where they saw the backs of three women and a young man. The raven haired woman was just saying something about wiping memories, theirs presumably, so without hesitation Phoebe had picked up a nearby vase and hurled it at the intruders while they still had the drop on them. Piper meanwhile had found them impervious to her freezing power and yelled out the front door. "Prue!" Prue promptly dropped the shopping bags in her hands and came dashing up behind her sisters. She flipped her fingers, and sent Chris flying. His Phoebe promptly levitated, catching him before he crashed through the nearby window. Prue froze, her eyes widening, as she realized what she was witnessing. "Phoebe? Piper?!"

The older Piper looked exasperated and raised a hand, "Uh, yeah! Hi." She said in her distinctively clipped manner. Phoebe half smiled as if she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Prue continued to look at them squinting in suspicion. "How do we know you're not warlocks?"

"Yeah! I can't fly!" exclaimed the younger Phoebe, "not even 10 years in the future!" she said, recalling their recent trip to 2009.

"Actually, I can… so to speak."

"No, not buying it," continued Prue. "You could easily be powerful warlocks. I mean, how can you counter everything we throw at you?"

"Because we _are_ you!"

"Well, some of us are anyway," mumbled Paige.

"Yeah - not helping!" replied Piper.

"Or you're looking to replace us! Two of you look like my sisters. How long until you-" she pointed at Paige, "-replaced me, and he replaced Leo?" she finished, pointing at Chris.

"She does have a point," responded the elder Phoebe.

"Want us to prove it? Fine." Piper threw an orange into the air, freezing it. "We don't freeze. But I can freeze things."

"So?" exclaimed Prue, "Maybe you've got some kind of potion that makes you immune to our powers or cast a spell to mimic our powers!"

"Yeah," Paige roller her eyes, "_that's_ plausible."

Piper glared at her. "Still not helping!" She paused for a moment, before a look of inspiration dawned on her face. "Say… why not let them vanquish us?"

"The power of three?" asked the younger Phoebe

"Sure," said the older Piper, placing her hands on her hips. "Chant away ladies," she gestured at them with one hand. The younger sisters looked at each other a little surprised, shrugged, and began chanting in unison.

"The power of three will set us free! The power of three will set us free!"

After a full minute of this the elder Piper finally cleared her throat in interruption. "Satisfied?"

"No," snapped Prue.

Chris rolled his eyes. "You always said she was stubborn - but this is ridiculous. Doesn't she know anything about how magic works?!"

"Hey!" exclaimed Prue indignantly. Chris raised both his hands in a mock gesture of apology. "Whoa! Don't go flinging me around the room again!" he said in mock fear. Prue smirked in a sarcastic but still menacing manner as if to say 'don't test me.'

"People! People!" cried the elder Piper. "Still have loved ones to save. Enough of this!" She pointed at Prue. "Your diary combination in 10th grade was 7-15-32. And you think I over-pepper my chili."

Caught in the moment, Prue shot back defensively, "I've never told you\that!"

Piper smirked. "You have. Or will, anyway. You!" Piper pointed at her younger self, "Our first crush was on the Professor on Gilligan's Island when we were eight. And you," she turned to her Phoebe, "Wanna do the honors?" Phoebe pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Sure…. Um…" She thought for a moment, and then looked up in surprise. "There's no need! They're convinced… mostly. I can feel it." At the expression their past selves faces Phoebe elaborated, with a little pride in her voice, "Got the empathy thing going." She smiled and this was returned by a similar expression on past Phoebe's face.

"Cool."

Future Phoebe continued. "Can be. And I'm sensing our big sis is still a touch suspicious. Go ahead," she nodded reassuringly at Prue, "Ask."

"Ook, that's creepy…" remarked past Piper, "and I'll bet it gets annoying."

"Ooh, yeah," agreed the older Piper. Phoebe shot her a look. "What? You must know it, or felt it anyway!" Her sister's face admitted as much.

"Ok, so if you're us… then where am I? Or am the one that needs saving? And who are _these_ people?"

Piper's face softened. "Oh, Prue, honey…"

As confusing as it all was, it was this sisterly concern, not magical secret knowledge, which finally won Prue over. She finally let herself really take in the sight before her and she found herself enveloped in a hug with these new, but familiar sisters. "Well, let me have a look at you!" She stepped back, examining them. Really looking at them now, Prue could see the subtle changes time had wrought on their appearance. Both, but Pheobe especially, looked, simply put, more mature. Their faces were slightly more angular, and shallow creases lined the creases of both sister's eyes and foreheads. Prue smirked. "You have laugh lines!"

"I do _not… do I?!!_" asked Phoebe.

The younger Piper tilted her head thoughtfully with a small smile on her face. "Well, I for one am happy to see time has been good to us. I was afraid with all those years of fighting demons, being thrown against walls… and that _stress_! That's a lot of wear and tear on a girl! Looks like we've taken it pretty well. Hell, we might even look better than we do now." Her expression turned into an inquisitive frown. "How old are you, uh, we, anyway?"

Piper opened her mouth to answer herself but was interrupted by Chris shushing her. "Oh, shhh yourself, mister! There's no harm in them knowing that much!"

Piper turned back to her past sisters. "That depends. When is this exactly?"

"Friday!" answered Phoebe cheerfully.

"Yeah…" Answered the older Piper slowly. "And…?"

"Oh… uh, November, 9th? 1999."

"Ok. Then that would put us… we're from 8 years in the future. 2007."

The younger Piper raised an eyebrow, "So that would make me… 35. Huh!"

"We're 32?!" Phoebe gestured at herself. The older version just grinned and nodded. "Wow! I guess we really do grow into our good looks in our thirties!" She gestured between herself and her future counterpoint. "We're hot!"

"Uh, Thanks?" Phoebe replied, almost laughing at her younger self's exuberance.

What was most striking to Prue though was not the new hair, or the more mature faces. No, it was the look in her future sister's eyes. Phoebe especially just held herself differently. Not only was she obviously more comfortable in her own skin, but her eyes betrayed a confidence and maturity Prue had always hoped to see in her littlest sister. Piper's presence, meanwhile, nearly owned the room. There wasn't a hint of the often meek bearing she was used to seeing her sister hold. She'd obviously come into her own – both as a witch and a woman.

"Okay!" exclaimed Prue "this is… _too weird_! My baby sister is two years older than me?"

"Uh," interjected Chris, "I hate to interrupt this self-affirmation session but I _really_ don't think it's a good idea for you to reveal any more information. I mean, you don't remember this happening, right?" he said to the older sisters. They shook their heads no. "Yeah, so that means it probably isn't destined which means we need to be _very_ careful about just what we reveal to you!"

Phoebe sighed. "Fine…" She turned to their past selves. "Can we have a minute? Just to – y'know – figure a few things out?"

Prue nodded before her sisters could offer their input. "Yeah… sure, I guess."

The elder Phoebe turned to Paige "Can I snag a ride?" she asked brightly.

"Sure," she replied. "We'll be in the attic," she said to the younger sisters. The four joined hands and orbed upstairs.

"Well…." Said Piper after the visitors had disappeared, "Lunch, anyone?" When they gave her a strange look she responded, "What? No sense in standing here waiting."


	6. Futures Revealed

**Author's Notes: **First off, a big OOPS. I realized that I'd uploaded the wrong version of Chapter 3. It's a small change but kinda important. For those who don't want to re-read, just know that Paige brought some general vanquish potions that the sisters keep on hand in her purse, and also grabbed the Book of Shadows in case they wouldn't have access to it in the time they were visiting. I've fixed that chapter now. Also, I've realized that for parts of the story to work I'll need to move the 1999 date back a few months. So, now think of it as being set around "That Old Black Magic" in November.

This is a long chapter update and I hope to get the next out sometime this weekend, but real life is sending me to a wedding out of town, so we'll see how much time I have. Hope there aren't too many inconsistencies with episodes, but it's been a while since I've seen a lot of them and finding good episode recaps is spotty, at best.

Many thanks for the comments! In response to **Jedi Alanna**, regarding their reaction to seeing Prue: In my mind, from what we see in the last couple seasons the sisters seem to take any crazy/emotional situation that magic brings to them in stride, and don't let their emotions run away with them. But that's not to say they're not right under the surface! So, expect their feelings to be a little more apparent as the story moves along. 

Please, keep the reviews coming. I'm open to any input and you might just effect how this unfolds!

Ok, enough, on with the story!

**Chapter 5**

Up in the attic, the sisters were agitated, barely able to control their anxiety – their excitement – at their situation and seeing Prue. Phoebe and Piper's hearts were racing as the reality of the reunion began to sink in. Piper inhaled deeply, trying to steady her nerves. She crossed her arms and shifted her weight to her left leg. "Ok, Chris. You're the expert time traveler. Shoot."

Chris furrowed his brow. "Uh, It's obvious? We don't tell them anything."

Paige rolled her eyes. "What? You don't trust your own mother to be able to handle info about the future?!"

He raised his eyebrows. "What? This one? Of course. The one down there..?" He pointed to the floor, "no way." Paige scoffed.

But Piper did not. "I think he's right." Said Piper slowly. "I mean, there's a lot we haven't learned yet in this time. About how tricky personal gain is… that magic really does happen for a reason. Let alone how unchangeable fate is."

"Yeah…" agreed Phoebe. "I don't think I – the other me – would ever forgive us for not saving Prue." She sighed.

"Ok, so no mentioning Prue. Her future, I mean. But what about us?" asked Paige, gesturing at herself and Chris. "I know Chris loves to play the mystery man but it didn't exactly make us the most cooperative bunch the first time he came back – and I'm guessing this time won't be any different.

Knowing he was outvoted Chris just sighed. "Fine. So we tell them some things, but can we still keep the details _vague_ at least?"

Back downstairs the girls waited rather impatiently. Having finished a quick lunch of small sandwiches, the sisters now sat in the living room. "I think I like being the visitor out of time better," mused Phoebe.

"So, why do you think we're – they're – here?" mused Piper, who was still trying to process seeing herself in her mid-thirties.

"I don't know," replied Prue. "Did you see the 'let's get down to business' vibe coming from Piper? Something serious must have gone down."

"Yeah" Phoebe smirked, "we look like we've really got the ropes of this battling evil stuff down." Two shimmering swirls of light interrupted the sister's speculation. Piper and Paige appeared sitting on the couch; Chris and Phoebe formed standing next to it. The 20-something Phoebe raised an eyebrow at this coupling and eyed Chris. "Ooh, does this mean I get my own hunk of a whitelighter?" she flirted.

The older Phoebe cringed at this, hiding her eyes as bother her sisters exclaimed, "Eww!"

"What?" asked the younger Phoebe, clearly confused by their reaction.

"God, you really were a little horn-dog, weren't you?" teased Paige.

Phoebe playfully punched Paige's shoulder in response, still bemusedly shaking her head, now with a faint smile playing across her face. "I _was_ only 24 y'know. Not to mention still on the brutal dating scene."

"You mean I – we – are married?" asked Phoebe hopefully.

"Was," Phoebe replied matter of factly. At this, the younger Phoebe looked crestfallen. "But don't worry, honey," she consoled herself, "I think we've found The One. Chris shot her an annoyed look. "What? I didn't say who! Yeeesh."

"Still!" He began, but Piper cut him off. "_Any_way. Phoebe," she turned to the younger version of her sister. "I'd like you to meet my son, Chris. Your _nephew_."

Phoebe's leering eyes immediately turned into saucers of shock, and then into a look of extreme embarrassment. "Oh! Oh! Ok, yeah! Ew, ew, ew!" she grimaced. "Sorry!"

"No problem," he replied.

"Ho – ho, whoa, wait! What?!" the younger Piper finally cried. "But, but I…" Her older self placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her, and smiled with a maternal pride.

"Yeah." She could see her younger self was drawn between dumbfounded shock and the inborn draw to her newfound future son. "Go ahead. He won't bite," she reassured and lead her to Chris, who despite his cautious nature pulled her into a hug.

"Nice to meet you again," he remarked with a smile.

As Piper slowly warmed into the hug, Prue watched with an unrestrained grin of pride for her sister. She deserved a happy family and it looks like she'd get it after all. "But wait, I don't get it," she said suddenly, "I thought Piper was going to have a daughter – Melinda – we never saw a boy in our future. Not to mention, I thought you said you were from eight years in the future. He looks a _little_ older than eight." Piper smiled. Nothing had ever gotten Prue in any situation. Somehow, she'd forgotten that.

"I'm actually from 27 years in the future," replied Chris.

"27 years from our or theirs?" asked the younger Piper, still in a bit of a daze from the bombshell.

"Yours," he replied to the sisters of 1999.

"This is making my head hurt…"

""Something messed up both our futures," continued Chris, "and it stems from this time and place."

"But what about the beautiful little girl I saw in the future?" asked Piper concerned.

"Well…"Piper replied to herself, pausing as she searched for the right words. "You, or, we… we changed the future That wasn't our destiny. That's why the elders sent us there. To prevent it. And sometimes changing the bad brings other unexpected consequences. As it turns out, we're fated to bring the first Halliwell boys into the world," she finished trying to lighten the mood.

"Boys? As in plural? Boy, Grams must have loved that!" exclaimed Phoebe.

Piper smiled. "She got over it." She turned back to herself and asked, warmly, "you want to see?" The younger nodded dumbly and Piper pulled a couple of pictures from her wallet. She pointed at the first, of a little blonde boy sitting on a swing, smiling broadly. "This is Wyatt."

"How old?" she asked herself.

"Almost four." She then pointed to a picture of a younger boy, dark-haired boy grinning into the camera. "And _this_ is little Chris." Phoebe 'awwed' as she was passed the photos. Piper, meanwhile, felt her heart warm as she realized that yes, despite not truly knowing them, she had room in her heart for these two little boys – even as she lost the daughter she'd never really had. Piper could see the look in her younger self's eyes, but it was Phoebe the empathy who spoke first.

"Oh, honey," she put her hand on Piper's upper arm, "she just wasn't meant to be."

"I guess… It's jus weird. To have this memory of this person – my _daughter_- who technically never existed."

"Just try to know that we changed the future for the better," said Phoebe in the most reassuring tone she could muster.

"So no witch hunt then?" asked Phoebe.

"Nope. It's a good future – worth preserving," answered the older Phoebe.

"We're… aunts. Pretty cool.," said Prue as if she hadn't heard the last minute or so of conversation. She broke into a grin and pinched Chris' cheek in playful manner. "Oooh! I could just eat you up!" she teased.

"Hey!" Chris exclaimed, pulling our of the pinch. "Jeez, can't a man get a little dignity around here?" But his smirk betrayed his false protests.

Suddenly, the older Phoebe felt a wave of emotions, both of longing and the pain of being left out, come off of Paige. "Oh, honey! We're sorry! It's just – you know…"

Paige wore a sad smile. "I know, I know. It's just… this all makes it real. How much I missed? And seeing all this family togetherness, it's tough."

"But you're just as much a part of the family as the rest of us," said Piper.

"I know/ I really do," she smiled as Phoebe put her hand on Paige's shoulder.

She felt Phoebe's usual inner brightness return. "That's my girl."

"She is?" asked Prue, breaking the moment. "Family, I mean. She's… what? Family?

"Ooh, yeah, well, she's, uh… our sister?" began Phoebe. Paige brashly turned to Prue and pulled her into a hug.

"Pleased to finally meet ya, sis!" The younger Phoebe and Piper blinked in surprise at the latest revelation, while Prue simply gave her sisters a look of wide-eyed confusion over Paige's shoulder.

Paige stepped back towards the sisters from her time, tilted her head against her Piper's, and smirked. "What? Don't see the resemblance?" she asked trying to lighten the mood.

The younger Piper was the first to speak. "How?! Uh," she furrowed her brow, "- what?!"

The elder Piper answered, once again choosing her words carefully. "Well… you know Sam, Mom's whitelighter? Turns out they did more than cuddle. And our beautiful baby sister here is the result."

The younger Piper clutched her head. "Whoa. Okay. Headache." The other two sisters just stared dumbly for a moment until Phoebe's face slowly formed into a smile.

"Hey! I finally get a baby sister! A little weird that she's older than me, but hey," she shrugged. She stepped over to her new sister and gave her a quick embrace. "Hi!" Piper followed her younger sister's lead, doing the same, as did Prue.

But once again Prue paused, becoming serious again. "Wait a minute, what did you mean, 'finally'?"

Paige winced. "Oops."

_That 'never missing a thing' thing had it's annoying side,_ thought Piper. She sighed.

"Am I not _in_ the future? Did something happen?" asked Prue. "Because that? Not sounding like a future worth saving."

"Yeah," agreed Phoebe, "maybe we're meant to avoid your future, too. Are you sure the Elders didn't send you back here or something?"

The younger Piper was finally catching up to everyone else, "…you do have your powers and we couldn't do that when we went back in time."

The elder Piper acted fast, "No, no. no," she said quickly, trying to calm the room. "It is! It is. It's not perfect – but nothing ever is. Its' just… how it should be. We've worked very hard to get our destiny on track – so don't get any funny ideas about getting us to change anything!"

Prue looked unconvinced and a little angry. "You mean I'm gone and you're just okay with that?!" Prue had realized that there was something they were holding back, and was not handling it well. On some level, she felt betrayed. "I'd do anything to save my sisters and I _thought_ you'd do the same!"

"Hey! Not fair!" exclaimed Phoebe as she felt the pain that accusation caused to flare up in Piper. Her face had fallen, but did not betray much to anyone else. Piper raised a hand, stopping Phoebe's tirade.

"No! No. She has every right to be upset. What happened wasn't fair. But let me explain." She closed her eyes a moment, pulling herself together.

Seeing how hurt her now older sister had been by her words caused Prue to soften, Piper opened her eyes, which were now set in a controlled, almost matter of fact expression. "You _did_ do everything you could to save us. We died, as a consequence of being exposed. The details are complicated, but suffice it to say you made a deal to bring us back. But… the consequence of saving our lives was that you had to…" she sighed. She didn't like hiding the truth from her sister, but it had to be done. "… give up being a Charmed One – not be in our lives anymore. We were devastated," she said, her eyes now a little moist, "but you can't change some things. _Some_ things are meant to be. Finding Paige helped us accept that. She saved this family," finished Piper, squeezing Paige's hand. They exchanged a soft sisterly smile.

"I know it's a lot to take in, but," Phoebe was interrupted by Chris, who suddenly seemed interested in reassuring his aunts.

"You'll meet me. Little me, that is, in the future, Aunt Prue. You'll still have place in this family in the future.," he offered in a gentle tone. The three sisters from the future looked at Chris in shock. "What?" he shot back, "I don't want to see my Aunt in pain. And I thought that might be of some comfort."

"No… I suppose that's good. I just didn't think you had it in you – to volunteer future info we don't even have." She smiled at him,

Prue, meanwhile, was being held on either side by her sisters, as if she would be taken away at any second. She had digested this information almost fully. "How long? Until…?" 'God_, she looks so small. So vulnerable,_' thought Piper. '_had she ever been this young?_' Or was it that she'd always seen Prue from the eyes of a younger sister. Prue, her protective almost Second-Mom of an older sister. "A year and a half," Piper said softly. Prue sank into the couch, with her sisters still clinging to her.

"No! There has to be a way!" cried Phoebe.

The younger Piper merely glared at herself for a moment, but then the wheels in her mind began to spin, while Phoebe continued rambling, and soon she erupted desperately, "There's always a way. We're witches for God's sake! You can't just - c'mon! A spell… to find a lost witch?! Or – something!" she cried.

"No." Prue said, finally and slowly. "That's not how it works. If there was no way to save then that's it. These ladies," she said, pointing at the sisters from the future, "have been at this a lot longer than we have – 8 years longer – and they're our sisters. I trust that if it could have been done they would have done it." She shrugged. "Maybe this is just my destiny. Besides!" she said, trying to lighten the mood, "maybe this life outside the Charmed Ones is what I needed. And if what Chris says is true? I'll be back! I'll just have to be patient…" She tried to put on a brave face, not fully convincing her sisters or even herself. "Anyway, I've never really been comfortable with this whole witch thing.

"The super-witch? Really?!" Paige blurted suddenly. She turned to her sisters, "You guys never told me that! Here I spent all those years modeling my witchy development Prue and she doesn't even like magic? Heck, the only non-magical thing in my life is Henry."

"Oh, c'mon, you knew me and Phoebe were always trying to find a way to keep magic out of our lives. Why would Prue have been any different?" answered Piper. Paige's answer was interrupted by the younger Piper.

"Are you happy?" she asked Paige, "Not leading a normal life, I mean?"

Paige nodded in affirmation. "Helping people has always driven me. It's just that now I help guide young witches and future on their paths _and_ save innocents." Paige smiled proudly.

Prue raised her eyebrows. "Sounds like you're the real super-witch." Paige blushed and brushed it off in mostly mock humility.

"Naaaah." It was an offhand comment, but Prue's words touched Paige deeply. It was the validation that she had been seeking all these years of her identity as the 4th Charmed One.

"Speaking of super-witches…" the younger Piper began, "I don't want to cut this short, but just how long _do_ my freezes last in the future?" she asked, pointing at the orange which still hung in the air.

"Huh?" The older Piper looked over her shoulder into the kitchen. "Oh. Yeah. Good question. I've never really tested since usually I just-" she casually flicked a hand at the fruit, blasting it into millions of tiny particles.

"Whoa!" her younger version yelped as the scent of fresh citrus wafted into the room.

**Next Time:** Future Piper gets a visit from Dan, the sisters are attacked, Prue finds her 'older' sister Piper off-putting, and Phoebe pesters her self for information about her future!


	7. Confrontations

**Chapter 6**

After explaining the reason for their visit to the past, the newly acquainted family had moved up into the attic. They were now setting up to scry for whoever had written the spell used on the Wyatts by using the scrap of paper it was written on. They had torn off a small piece that did not have blood on it, since they did not know whose it was, in order to avoid a false reading. The 21st century Phoebe was watching the crystal dangling from her hand swirl slow circles around a map of San Francisco. _A remarkably clean and crisp map_ she mused to herself. It hadn't been singed and stained by innumerable demon attacks yet. Years from now, _this now_, they would store stack of maps on hand as a result of the many demons that regularly found their way into the Halliwell attic. It was like somebody was selling a blueprint of their home to any interested demon in the underworld. _Maybe... I'll have to look into that,_ she thought to herself.

The rest of the group was huddled around the pedestal flipping through the Book. This was more out of habit than the expectation that they'd actually find anything. Not to mention it gave the elder sisters a distraction from the awkward being confronted with a living, breathing Prue. Piper hoped her big sister couldn't see the melancholic joy that weighed on her heart at this reunion, but wasn't confident.

"So, I'm still the go-to girl for scrying, huh?" asked the younger Phoebe.

"We all have our talents!" answered her older self lightly.

"Speaking of talents," pried Phoebe, "Do I, er, you, have that neat head scrambly thing I saw in the future?"

The older Phoebe scrunched her eyebrows. "Huh. Y'know, I haven't thought about that in years? But now that you mention it, I don't think that's the direction my powers are heading. Boy, how inaccurate was _that_ future? I don't even have a voice controlled TV."

"Well," chimed in Piper, "we did get those Hybrid cars. Besides, an iPod beats a hands-free TV any day."

"And eye-what?"

"Nothing," answered Phoebe in a singsong tone. Suddenly the crystal pulled from her fingertips and sped to a spot on the map, landing with a thump. "Got him!" she announced, "Taylor Street in Little Italy."

"I'll drive," offered Prue.

"Shouldn't we bring Leo in on this first?" asked the older Piper.

Her past self looked at her strangely. "We're keeping things purely professional," stated Piper. Her voice betrayed her annoyance at the situation. "So, not if we don't have to. Besides, we have two Whitelighters already, don't we?"

The married Piper paused at her self's comment, considering how she remembered her feelings at this time. Then unconsciously, she shifted into big sister mode. "Fair enough. We can handle this for now. But we're going to need to talk to him at some point. He may know who would have it out for him. So… we may as well talk to him and find out what we're up against instead of going in blind. Then, you can go back to the adolescent dramatics all you like, ok?" she said with a sharp but teasing tone.

The younger Piper and Phoebe exchanged looks. It was eerie how much this Piper had just sounded like their big sister. Prue didn't seem to have noticed, though, and merely nodded, "I agree. _Leo!_" she called, without waiting for her younger sister's input.

A swirl of white lights quickly coalesced into the form of Leo., his hands on his hips. "What's going on? Something wrong?" he asked. Prue just looked at him, then pointed behind him, and twirled her and to indicate he should look behind him. He turned around to see Piper, Phoebe, and two strangers wearing matter of fact smiles.

Piper's smile broadened into a grin as their eyes met. "Leo. Hiii!"

Leo's head darted rapidly back and forth between the two sets of sisters. "Huh? What's..?"

"Long story short," replied the older Piper, crossing over to his side, "we're from the future and here to save a loved one." Her eyes softened, as did her voice, as she said this last bit. She then glanced down away from his gaze, as she displayed the hand with her wedding band on it. "You…actually." Leo's eyes widened slightly. Piper steeled herself and straightened up. "And we need to know if _you_ know of anyone out to get you. You know, revenge, vendetta, something like that?" Leo eyed her a little suspiciously. "_Oh,_ fer – Ok! You were an army medic, died at Guadalcanal, Gideon was your mentor when you became a whitelighter…"

Still unconvinced, he replied, "That's a good start, but with a little nosing around any demon could find out any of that."

"Fine. I didn't want to go here, but… I know you're still hot for me. Uh, her."

"Well, that's not hard to-" interrupted Prue.

"-_and_, you're questioning the wisdom of the Elders. Thinking maybe it's worth breaking the rules. Saying 'screw what they want'? And you've _probably_ talked to Gideon at this point about how to hide a relationship from the Elder's sight? You don't really want me share the story of your first kiss, do you?" She smiled playfully.

Leo's mouth dropped open slightly. "How do you know?"

"Future, remember. Believe us now?"

"But how?"

"Details later. Info now," said Piper hurriedly.

Leo blinked. "Uuh, yeah. I mean, not that I can think of. But I've helped fight a lot of evil over the years. And I'm the Whitelighter to the Charmed Ones. I'm sure plenty of demons would like me to of the way if they could find me."

"No," the older Phoebe chimed in, "something here doesn't add up. This attack? The spell? Seemed very personal." She placed her hand on Leo's shoulder and immediately gasped, seizing up at the onset of a vision. Images of men standing around a large pot flashed before her mind's eye. They wore tattered tabards emblazoned with the symbol of a dagger against a quarter moon. One poured black sand out of an hourglass into the bubbling brew. When Phoebe came to her senses, she heard her own voice, from across the room, "Is that how I look every time?"

"What did you see?" asked Prue, ignoring the query.

"Warlocks, I think. Brewing a potion, for Leo maybe?" She went on to describe what they were doing and the tabards that they were wearing.

Leo nodded. "I know them; Demonic, hit men of sorts, called the Lunar Hand. They usually work for the Hawker, a –"

" – service demon. Takes contracts for goods and services. Hangs out at the demonic market," said Paige. "We've met. Niice guy," she finished sarcastically.

"Ok, this is good!" said the older Piper. "Basic warlocks. Easy vanquish and we get our info with minimal danger!"

"So, what's the plan?" asked Prue.

"Just follow our lead. Watch our backs?" answered Piper.

"_I'll_ drive," said Paige with a smirk.

Piper clapped her hands together. "Alright! Leo, it's probably best if you stay here, in case they have any of that potion. Chris, will you watch out for him?" she asked gently.

Chris nodded. "No problem."

With that, the six sisters clasped hands and orbed out. Leo looked at the young man he did not know was his son. "You the girl's future whitelighter? I mean, I must have clipped my wings."

Chris smiled mysteriously. "Something like that."

The girls materialized in a large abandoned warehouse. "Why don't demons ever hang out in a nice cheery house? Always with the dark abandoned hole in the walls! It's not like they can use magic to clean up a little," mused the younger Phoebe.

Paige laughed. She kinda liked this flippant Phoebe. It kind of reminded her of herself. Paige turned to face her sister just in time to see a fireball hurtling toward her face. "Fireball!" she cried and orbed it back towards its maker, bursting him into flame. The younger sisters yelped in surprise as seven more warlocks blinked in, surrounding the women. "So much for the element of surprise," remarked Paige wryly.

The leader, judging by the red cloak draping his shoulders, nodded his head in the direction of the witches. The obviously well-trained warlocks simultaneously shot a wave of fireballs at the sisters. The more experienced Phoebe stepped into the barrage, co-opted their powers, and sent three fireballs back into the warlocks who threw them. Her younger counterpart, meanwhile, had instinctively dodged away, rolling across the ground. Just as the 20-something Piper's fingers were clenched, ready to flick and freeze the remaining fireballs, she saw them one by one rapidly burst into puffs of smoke. "Nice reflexes there, 'quick draw'," she said to her older self, wryly.

In the meantime, Prue flung two warlocks across the room, but before they could land in the stack of waiting cardboard boxes a large wooden crate, hurtling at high speed, orbed into their path. Prue glanced at Paige. "Nice teamwork."

"Thanks."

Prue turned back to see Piper exploding the last two generic warlocks, so she turned her attention to the one in the red cloak and flung him at a large iron hook. "Wait!" cried Piper. She threw out her left hand and froze him mid-air just as her right hand finished blowing up the last warlock. "We need him, remember? Phoebe?" said Piper. Both Phoebes looked up and Piper gestured up at the frozen warlock. While the younger Phoebe just looked confused, the other walked over to just below him before levitating up, grabbing hold, and slowly lowering him to the ground. Piper glanced around. "Ready?" she asked. After a few nods of affirmation Piper focused back on the red-cloaked man.

With a small twist of her hand his head unfroze, in the midst of a roar.

"I didn't know I could do that! _Can_ I do that?" exclaimed the young Piper.

The man sneered as he realized his predicament. "What's this, witches?"

"We'll be asking the questions, I think," replied the younger Phoebe, as she relished having the upper hand for a change.

"Free me, witch!" the warlock snarled.

"Hmm, maybe introductions are in order? We're the Charmed Ones," said Piper. "And _you_ are?"

"Your death," he replied, clearly non-plussed.

"Yeah… see?" she continued, "I don't think so." With that she blew off a chunk of the flesh on his thigh. "Think I'll stop there?"

This seemed to alarm him slightly, his bravado quelled, and he merely replied, "Lexam."

"Good, see? Not so hard."

"So, who are you working for?" asked Paige.

"The demon who paid me," he sneered.

"Wow. You just don't get how this works, do you?" remarked Piper and she blew off his hand. He roared in pain.

"The Hawker! The Hawker hired me!" he roared.

"We already know that," replied Paige. "So hows about you tell us who hired _him_, hm?"

"I don't have that knowledge!"

"Don't really have the patience for this game," warned Piper.

She blew off his left ear and he bellowed, "Aargh, okay! I don't know who! Just that he's an upper level demon. He has to be with the power he lent in that hourglass. And, and," he searched his mind for details, "he manipulates time, or bends it, or something!"

"Tempus?" asked the older Phoebe.

"No, no. He wouldn't need the likes of us. This one channels his powers, infuses things with it. But he cannot contact the underworld long."

"Why?" At his silence, Piper raised her hands as if to blast him again.

"No! Please! I – I don't know! Truly I don't! You'd have to ask the Hawker. Only he dealt directly with the demon!"

"Great. Wild goose chase," said Paige.

"Thanks!" said Piper, who blew him to pieces before he could raise protest. She suddenly became aware of their younger selves staring at her. "What?" she asked, flustered.

Younger Piper opened her mouth but hesitated a moment before starting, "Nothing… it's just… you're so much like – I mean you – "

"Kick _ass_! Take no prisoners. Like Grams," finished the younger Phoebe.

"What? Me? Naah " said Piper flustered.

The older Phoebe smiled contemplatively "Y'know, I'd never really thought about it – I mean we've all changed so gradually, but actually…" she shrugged. "I can see it. Badass demon hunter, takes no prisoners, no nonsense… that's Grams all the way." Piper scrunched her nose, not entirely pleased at the comparison. "- but without the bitter aftertaste, of course!" Phoebe quickly added.

"Anyway," interjected Prue, "we've got what we're after. We should get out of here before any other demons show up." She turned to the future Piper. "And that was a compliment. Never knew you had it in you lil' sis.

Younger Piper cocked her head to one side and slowly said, "Neither did I."

Chris, meanwhile, had filled Leo in on most of what the sisters of this time had been told, but excluding more details, of course. Considering that he'd given up on the idea if even dating Piper, let alone getting married, Leo had taken the news of becoming a father surprisingly well. For Chris, it was refreshing to not have to fight against his father's protective suspiciousness, unlike the first time he'd visited the past. Chris got to his feet, as did Leo, when the sisters reappeared. "Everything alright?" the men asked in unison.

"How cute. Bonding already," Prue smirked. The guys glanced at each other, embarrassed.

Leo waved for Chris to continue. "Did you find anything out?"

Paige nodded, "And got rid of a few warlocks in the process.," she said, smiling in satisfaction.

"You _**what?!**_" exclaimed Chris.

"Bad guys. Poof," stated Piper. "Got a problem with vanquishing demons, now?"

"Yes! When it comes to past demons, I do! What if they're pivotal to some future event? The whole future could be messed up now!"

"Oh, c'mon, how important could a few warlocks be?" asked the younger Piper. "It's not like we recognized them. I don't think. Did you?" she asked her other self.

That Piper shook her head in the negative, but the older Phoebe spoke up, sheepishly. "Actually… I kinda did."

"_What?!_" cried Piper.

"Well, sort of," explained Phoebe. "I kinda remember Co- uh, you know who, kill that whole Order back when I was 'Queen'."

The younger Phoebe's eyes widened. "I get to be a _queen_?"

The other Phoebe winced, "Queen of all evil," she explained. At her younger counterpoint's horrified and confused expression Phoebe merely stated, " Don't ask. You don't want to know. Really. On the bright side, I don't think they were consequential to us! Until all this happened, anyway."

"Lucky this time," said Chris, "But you can't just go around killing demons willy-nilly without considering the consequences!"

Paige smirked. "_Willy_-_nilly_?" Chris shot her a withering look.

"Chris is right," interrupted Leo. "Like it or not, those demons serve a purpose. They play a part in the grand design and in everyone's destiny. You need to avoid killing them if at all possible or else you may not have a future to return to. You'll just have to figure out another way."

Piper sighed. She knew he was right. "You always did have that reasonable, wise Elder thing down didn't you?" She smiled at him. "Keep it up. You've got plenty of years convincing _this_ stubborn gal to deal with."

"Hey!" exclaimed the other Piper.

"Oh, you know we are! It's not always a bad thing. After all, it got me the family life we've always wanted."

Prue cleared her throat to interrupt. "Ok, so how do we deal with this Hawker if we can't kill him?"

"Not to mention, if we leave him alive what's to stop him from coming after us later when we don't have our buffed up future selves for backup?" asked Phoebe.

"I think I have an idea," said Paige. "Something I suspended a kid for in Magic School, actually."

"Magic School?" Asked Phoebe. The idea that there was a place she could possibly catch up on the time they'd missed developing their powers was an appealing one.

"Not important," answered Paige. Disappointed, Phoebe let the subject drop. _Besides, _she thought, _I obviously do catch up. And how._

Paige continued, "A boy was sneaking peeks into the ladies dorm showers. When he was seen he used a spell to make them forget that they'd ever seen him. It was eight weeks before someone walked in on him reciting the spell. Creepy little kid." She grimaced. "But clever. He'd worked out a wording that let them remember everything except who he was, and left them totally disinterested in finding his identity out. If only I knew what that was, we'd be back in business!"

"You don't remember?" asked Piper.

"It was in Elvish. Kid thought he was the next friggin' Gandalf," replied Paige, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, if a 14 year old can come up with that, I'm sure we can."

"Ok," said Prue, "but that still doesn't get us a way to get this Hawker to talk if we can leave a lasting mark on him."

"Well…" started the older Piper slowly, "I can still intimidate him – blow stuff up. And I believe I know just the truth potion to whip up." She turned and started for the kitchen. Prue followed, which prompted the rest to follow in turn.

A rapping on the kitchen window startled Piper as she swung open the potions cabinet door. She turned to see Dan, her former neighbor and very distant Ex, at the window smiling. He was carrying a brown paper grocery bag. "Ooooh, crap, crap, crap! Out! Scoot!" she gestured at the group. "You and you in!" She pointed at Prue and the younger Phoebe. "Everyone else out! Shoo! He already saw me!

"But he's going to notice you look-" protested her Phoebe.

"He's a guy - he'll never notice!" she said hurriedly. "I'll get rid of him! _Go!" _The doubles and the rest hustled back into the living room and dove behind the couches just as Dan opened the back door. Piper smiled a little too broadly at him as he crossed the threshold. "_Daaan_! Hi! How've you been?"

"Same as last night, I guess." He said slightly confused. "Uh, what happened to your bangs?"

"Huh? Oh, uh they're still there. _Obviously_. I just… brushed my hair differently today. It's a girl trick." She smiled nervously, hoping that would satisfy him.

"Huh. Well, it looks good."

"Thanks," She paused, looking awkwardly at her sisters for a cue, but they looked as if they could barely contain their laughter. She sighed, exasperated, then put her hands on her hips.

Dan put the bag down on the counter beside her, moving into her personal space. "Everything okay?" he asked as she seemed to back away from his presence. Finally, Piper slid one hand behind Dan's back, flicked her fingers, and froze him.

"Little help?" she cried. The two sisters snickered.

"Sorry, it's just – he noticed!" laughed Phoebe.

"I guess that's what comes from living with a 14 year old girl," added Prue.

"Yeah, yeah. I just need to know one thing. Piper?" she called into the adjoining room. _That never ceases to be weird_, she thought.

"Yeah?"

"Are we, I mean you and Dan, dating yet?" she asked.

"Yet? No, um, mostly just flirting," she replied slightly embarrassed.

"_A lot!_" added younger Phoebe. "I mean, just get it on already!"

"Who's _asking _you, _Phoebe_?" said the younger Piper, exasperated.

"HA!" Future Phoebe blurted out in amusement. Paige and the older Piper snickered as well.

"What?" asked all three younger sisters in unison.

"Oh, nothing." Said Phoebe smiling.

"Yeah. Who would 'Ask Phoebe'" Paige said, making air quotes.

"Ok, back on track people. Places." When everyone had returned to their pre-freeze positions Piper unfroze Dan. "So, what's in the bag?" she asked, doing her best to act coy and nervous in his presence. The latter wasn't so difficult given how _very_ uncomfortable she was right now, especially considering Leo was in the room and could hear all of this.

She placed her hand on the small of his back. Dan smiled at her gesture, which had obviously flustered him. "I, uh, it's – what is it?" He opened the bag. "Oh, yeah! I saw this at the Stuart Avenue Market. I remember you said it's almost impossible to find." He pulled two bottles of Bourgogne Rouge, a rare high quality wine, out of the paper bag. "Snagged the last two they had while I was in Sonoma this weekend.

"Awww, thank you!" Piper said genuinely. _I remember this now!_ she thought. "Maybe you can come over Friday night? I'll whip up a dinner we can enjoy this with?" A gasp emanated from the living room. Dan glanced in the direction of the sound.

Quickly, Prue covered, "That's just Kit! You know, our cat? She's got a little cold, or something."

"Oh," said Dan disinterested in her explanation, "so, Friday night? Sure. Is seven okay?"

"Perfect!" said Piper, "Now, we were _just _heading out so…"

"Oh, yeah, ok. I'll see you later, then. Friday at seven." Dan's face beamed.

"Uh-huh. Ok, bye, bye, now!" Piper waved at him, grinning too broadly again. When he was out of sight, she sighed in relief.

"Coast is clear!" announced Prue.

Leo stood up and cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I think I'll go, uh, check with the Elders. See if they know anything about the Hawker's recent activities." He quickly orbed out. The older Piper frowned at his retreating orbs.

The others quickly joined them in the kitchen. Piper was staring at her future self in horrified disbelief as she crossed into the room. "I can't believe you just asked him out like that! What happened to not changing the future?"

"I didn't. I just did what I remember doing the last time."

"I did? Huh. Well, it was a thoughtful present."

"Not to mention one obviously intended to be shared. He _so_ set you up!" teased the older Pheobe.

The younger Piper shrugged. "I suppose so. When did you get so insightful?"

"Have to be, with my job," answered Phoebe.

"What _do_ you do?" pried Phoebe again.

Her older self just smiled apologetically. "Sorry, consequences."

"A girl has to try!"

Meanwhile, the more experienced Piper had donned a worried look. "If we're going to be here much longer we're going to have to do something about this," she said motioning between herself and her other self. "A glamour or something. We can't be seen walking around with doubles."

"Can we _try _and focus here? We can worry about that later," Chris said urgently. "We should get back to that potion and spell before someone realizes those Lunar Hand thugs are toast."

"Yes, _son_, we _can_," said Piper pointedly. She turned to her younger self. "We'll need some Rumersbane, Nymph's Tears, and Caraway seeds, in addition to the usual basics. Are you stocked in that?"

"I've never even heard of the first two." Piper pulled the potions book out of the false bottom on a drawer and flipped to a page near the back. "Here's the ingredient list. There's a small corner shop in Chinatown – on the corner of Clay Street and Spofford Lane – called 'Qiger and Herb S'. They specialize in more powerful herbs. Prue, Phoebe, can you go get whatever we need?" They nodded. She then gestured at her other self. "We'll get started on this while Paige and my Phoebe work on the spell.

Chris spoke up, "I'll go along in case you two need help with the Chinese."

"You speak Chinese?" asked Prue.

"No, I just know the symbols for what we're looking for."

"Ah." Prue grabbed her keys and the trio headed for the door. It was reassuring to see her sisters would be taken care of when she was gone. Even though they were plenty capable adults, she'd always worried about their welfare if something happened to her. But it seemed Piper had learned to take the lead, and trust in herself, and she wore the role well. If she were completely honest with herself, Prue could see that Piper probably wore the role even better than herself. She still played the peacemaker, but led comfortably and decisively. Nonetheless, Prue couldn't help finding herself mildly annoyed each time this future Piper stepped in just as she was about to offer direction. She may be older than Prue, but looking at her, she still felt like she knew what's best for her little sister. It was just… strange to think of her as this woman with so much more life experience than her. She's a wife, a mom, a successful businesswoman – not to mention a pretty badass witch.

For her part, the 35 year old Piper had noticed the tell-tale signs that something was bothering her big sister. "Wait – Prue? Can I talk to you for a moment before you go?" They were working against time, but her long lost sister's feelings were more important to her at this moment.

"Sure."

They excused themselves into a side room. "Hey," Piper said gently. Prue watched as she softened into someone much more like the sister she knew, although still a more self-assured version. "I just want to apologize if I'm stepping on your toes here. I've just been doing this so long…" she sighed. "Someone had to fill your shoes when you were gone, and the whole mom thing – it's who I am now."

Prue smiled warmly at her. "I can see that. You're pretty impressive. And not a half-bad big sister."

"_But…"_ Piper prodded. Even after all these years, she could always tell when her sister was holding something back.

"But… you'll always be my little sister no matter how old you are, and I want to protect you – which is ridiculous, I know, but – "

"No. It makes perfect sense. What do you think it's like with me and Chris? My baby boy, who has been practicing magic all his life, and is practically a walking Book of Shadows. But, I just try to trust his judgment – most of the time anyway," she smiled. "But I'm still his mom."

Prue sighed. "It's nothing I want you to worry about. I just need to learn to let go, _and_ learn to trust you guys as the experts. _Even_ Phoebe."

"That'll be the day!" exclaimed Piper.

Prue shrugged. "Well, y'know, she seems like she's really grown up, really pulled it together. So, maybe all hope isn't lost."

"Oh, she has. It was a hard road, but believe it or not she helps other people get it together now."

"That's good to hear. Sometimes I'm afraid she's just going to drift for the rest of her life, sponging off me for the next fifty years!"

Piper smiled. "If anyone should be sponged off of, its Phoebe these days. Those days? Whatever."

"Just what is this mystery job?" asked Prue.

"You know I can't."

"Alright, well, if you're not going to share then I guess I should get going," Prue said with a genial smile.

Before she could walk out the door, Piper pulled Prue into a hug. "You know you're still my big sis, right? What you bring can't be replaced. Please don't feel like you can't speak up. I always wanted – _want – _your opinion."

"Oh! There's no stopping me when I know you're wrong," Prue said half-jokingly.

When the pair returned to the foyer Phoebe was pestering her self for information on the future again. "A doctor?" she asked.

"Not gonna spill," replied the other Phoebe, crossing her arms.

"Firefighter? Lifeguard?" She lit up suddenly, "Ooh! A sex therapist!"

"No!" yelped the older Phoebe, horrified.

"She _was _closer…" said Paige, amused.

"Shhh! This is your fault, anyway! Mentioning details about my future boyfriend in front of me!"

"All I said was that he helps people," protested Paige. "How was I supposed to know you're so incorrigible? I never got to meet Flighty Phoebe."

"Hey! I'm not flighty! I'm… exuberant!"

"Flighty," admitted the older Phoebe.

"Well, I think it's cute on you," finished Paige.

"Ready to go?" asked Prue and she walked out the door without waiting for an answer.

"Male stripper?" asked younger Phoebe giving it one last try as she headed out the door.

"_How_ does that help people?!" the other Pheobe yelled after her self. Her eyes got big as she smirked incredulously. "Can you believe me?"

"Alright!" Paige clapped her hands together. "Let's get on that spell!"


	8. What a Difference 1 Paige Makes

**Author's Notes:** Thanks for all the kind words! But then, who doesn't love feedback? Now the question: I'm at a crossroads. I can't decide if 21st century Piper and a Leo from her past should have an accidental romantic moment? What would _you_ like to see? Opinions welcome – nay! Probably needed. :)

**Chapter 7 – What a Difference 1 Page Makes**

The age old demon moved his hand up to a swirling black mass of particles. As his hand passed across it the image of a deprecated dank bedroom, adorned with totems of dark magic and a large free standing cauldron, appeared. A man clad in black studded leather hovered over the cauldron, his long greasy hair dangling over his face, where the vessel's liquid rippled into the image of the trapped demon. "Where have you been?" snarled the man.

"Patience has it's rewards, Darklighter," answered the demon. "Like vast power."

"Do you have it?" asked the Darklighter, still irritated.

The demon merely held up a pendant as an answer.

The Darklighter scowled suspiciously. "I won't take this kind of risk without knowing what this promised power is."

"Very well." The demon pulled a small silver object from beneath his cloak and tossed it through the portal. It splashed out the other side and shot into the air where the Darklighter caught it. He turned the clasp in his fingers, examining it. It's silver bars took the form of three interlocked triangles.

"The Triad?" asked the man in surprise. "What do they have to do with this?"

"The Triad is no more in my time."

"But you're outside time."

"Not precisely. I am bound to it's passage as are all beings. I can merely manipulate my relation to it. And brings others through it. Including yourself. If you assist me in this task you can join me as one third of the Triad."

"But what does a measly Whitelighter have to do with anything?"

"He is essential to the destiny of those who can challenge our rule." The Darklighter nodded, satisfied for the moment. "Take this. Set their new destiny in motion." The demon dropped an amulet through the portal, where the Darklighter caught it before disappearing into a swirl of black orbs.

* * *

In the Manor's kitchen, Paige crumpled up another piece of notebook paper and tossed it into a small pile of failed rhymes.

"What if we invoke the Sun and the Moon?" asked Pheobe.

Paige shook her head. "Nah. They're just markers of time, they don't exert any power over it."

"Ok, how about Baby New Year?" joked Pheobe.

"Ha, ha. But…" Paige flipped through a book of mythology. "Father Time, maybe?"

"Doesn't exist," replied Leo. He had returned shortly after the others had left to get the potion ingredients. The Elders hadn't heard anything about the Hawker recently.

"Damn!" Paige slammed the book shut in frustration. "How can a horny Fourteen year old figure this out and not the three most powerful witches of all time? I mean, I've _taught_ this stuff!"

"Well, uh… never mind," started the younger Piper in an unsure voice.

"No, go ahead honey," encouraged Phoebe.

"Well, it seems to me… maybe you're overcomplicating thing? I mean, I've only written a few spells, but why do we need to reverse time? Couldn't we just erase that period of time from his head?"

"I always knew there was a reason we listen to you Piper!" said Paige "Sometimes knowing all the possibilities blinds you to the simplest common sense solutions!" She grabbed a new sheet of paper and began scribbling as Phoebe peered over her shoulder. After a minute, Paige looked up at her sister. "Got anything Pheebs? I'm stumped."

"How about… 'remember only the ordinary'?"

Paige shrugged. "Works." She looked back over the spell. "Reads a little like we're channeling Yoda, but it gets the job done. How's the potion coming?"

"We're ready for whenever they get back with those ingredients. I gotta say, they're right when they say 'if you want something done right, you've gotta do it yourself'!"

"I _guess_ so," chimed in the younger Piper. "I've never made a potion this fast. We're in perfect synch – like we can read each other's minds."

"Imagine that," replied Paige. Both Pipers rolled their eyes in unison.

"We're back!" called the other Pheobe from the living room.

"That was one hell of a shop you sent us to!" said Prue as she walked into the kitchen.

The older Piper nodded. "It's owned by a Mandarin family that's been hunting Grimlocks for twelve generations." The Prue began to unwrap the herbs from their brown paper packages as the Pipers pinched out measures of each, tossing them into the frothing vessel. In short order, the potion was almost complete.

"Stand back," ordered the more experienced Piper. Everyone backed off and Piper tossed the final ingredient, an indigo-black flower petal, into the concoction. The petal touched the liquid and a powerful poof of steam burst from the pot, shooting straight up into the ceiling.

"Ok, so how do we find this Hawker?" asked Prue, waving the smoke away from her face with her hand.

"We've been to the market before, so I can orb us to the entrance," said Paige, "but the market itself is magically protected. We'll have to get through a crowd of demons. Without killing them _or_ them recognizing us…"

"Sounds like it's a good time for that glamour spell you guys mentioned," said the younger Phoebe. "We should probably be disguised too. We don't want any of them coming after us later."

"Agreed."

"Ready for an Extreme Magical Makeover, ladies?" asked Paige. "We'll need an image for you to focus on…" she rummaged through her purse and pulled out the latest issue of 'San Francisco: Life & Style'.

"Should you be letting them see that?" asked Leo, concerned.

"It's just a trendy magazine. What harm could it do?" said Paige, shrugging him off.

"Pick a face," she said, handing the magazine to Prue. "We can just use the identities we picked out a couple years ago. Don't ask," she said before Phoebe could open her mouth. _Boy I'm getting sick of saying that_, thought Paige.

Prue slowly flipped through the pages while her sisters looked on over her shoulder. "Talk about getting a jump on the next fashion trend!" From what she saw everything seemed basically the same, but with touches of difference, of course. She really liked the trend in colors. After all, black was her go-to choice, and it seemed to be paired with splashes of vibrant color in a lot of the outfits she saw.

"Guess I'll have to replace all my mid-riffs, huh? I don't seen one, yet," said Phoebe.

"Never a moment too soon," said her older self under her breath. At the look her younger self gave her, Pheobe put her palms up in a defensive pose. "No offense! Sorry!" she smiled. "It's just that I'm having one of those 'what was I thinking?' fashion moments. Y'know - like when you look back at pictures from High School. Maybe I'm just getting too old for that stuff..." she continued to ramble.

"Whoa!" exclaimed the younger Piper, pointing at something in the magazine.

"'_Ask Phoebe'_?" said Prue, one eyebrow raised.

Paige grimaced. "Oops." She turned to her Phoebe. "That was this month, huh?"

Phoebe put her hands over her younger self's eyes. "Let me see!" she whined, sweeping the hands from her face. "What are you – " asked Pheobe as she plucked the magazine from Prue's stunned fingers and came face to face with a full page spread of tastefully sexy photos accompanying an article about herself. The headline, in bold print, read, '**Ask Phoebe – the Bay Area's biggest babe**'. "Holy…" she trailed off, her eyes scanning the article quickly. Prue and Piper looked amused, and more than a little surprised, while Phoebe just wore a look of fascination.

"Enough future information for ya?" asked her Piper, rhetorically.

"Look!" Phoebe said, a prideful expression crossing her face as she read lines from the article, "'as smart as she is sexy!' 'One of the most successful women in Northern California'! You're _famous_!" she exclaimed, turning to her future self.

The older Phoebe blushed and held a book in front of her face. "Naaah. Well, maybe a _little_." She lowered the book, now wearing an embarrassed grin. "But I'm not _Oprah_ or anything. I haven't even been on her show."

Chris meanwhile, looked more and more alarmed with each passing second. "You shouldn't be letting them see that! Or telling them all this!" he snatched at the magazine, but the older Phoebe waved him off as the younger one dodged out of his way, rolling back into the couch.

"It's just a fluff piece to drum up some interest in a Breast Cancer benefit I'm hosting next month. There's nothing in there they can't learn from the headline. The cat's already out of the bag," she shrugged.

Chris waved his hands around frantically. "Yeah, well, we're gonna have to do something about all this!" he said, "you've revealed _way_ too much!"

"We'll worry about that after we've handled the demon," said the older Piper, calmly. Chris didn't look happy at this, but let the subject drop.

Prue was now looking at the older Phoebe, studiously. "What?" asked Phoebe when she felt her sister's eyes on her.

"Nothing," replied Prue lightly.

"Don't give me that – I don't have to be an empath to know something's on your mind."

Prue smiled. "I just never would have imagined… I mean, I've hoped you'd finish school and finally blossom into that grownup I see inside you that pops it's head out every once and a while, but _this_. You've really made something of yourself!" Phoebe hadn't recognized what the look on her sister's face was until she felt the wave of emotion radiating off Prue. It was pride.

She'd so rarely seen it before Prue died that it was an unfamiliar expression. Until this moment she hadn't truly known how much Prue's approval really meant to her. Phoebe felt tears well up in her eyes for just a moment. "Thanks," she replied softly.

"I just can't believe I get to grow up to be _you_!" exclaimed her younger self. She was so engrossed in the article she seemed to have missed the exchange.

"Pretty neat, huh?" said the older Phoebe, pulling herself together.

Her younger self continued reading quotes from the article aloud. "'I suppose a lot my insight comes from personal experience. I've been through more than my share of heartbreak, personal tragedies, and loss'," her reading had slowed and her face fell at this. "'When you see what I've seen you learn a lot about life'…" she frowned and looked up. "I guess this means I've got a lot of awful things to look forward to, huh?"

"Read the next line," her older self insisted gently.

Phoebe complied. "'But everything happens for a reason. I don't just believe that. I know it."

Phoebe put a hand on her younger self's shoulder. "I've learned along the way that even the most painful events in my life have made me who I am, made me a better, stronger, person, and have lead all of us to where we are now – which is a pretty good place. I wouldn't change one of them even if I could." She smiled down, reassuringly.

"Not even the thing with the sibling rivalry spell? The awards acceptance speech incident?" asked Paige, smiling.

"Ok, _maybe_ that!" laughed Phoebe.

"Then I believe I too," said the younger Phoebe.

The younger Piper had taken charge of the magazine during this exchange between the two Phoebes, mostly to stay out of the uncomfortable situation, only to quickly make her own small revelation. "Good to see the club isn't – _wasn't_ – a flop!" she pointed out an ad for P3. "I got Patti Smith to play there?! Wow."

"'The Killers' was a much harder get this month, actually," replied Piper.

"Aaah," Piper nodded as if the name meant something to her. "_Who_?" Piper finally asked, confused.

"Just made it big. Rock band," her older self clarified.

"Guys!" exclaimed Chris in frustration. "Can we _please_ get a move on here?!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. So _cranky_," mumbled Piper as she resumed flipping through the pages. Finally, she landed on an ad featuring a picture of three women sipping martinis. "How about these ones?"

"Sure."

Yeah, whatever," replied Prue.

Within about ten minutes Paige had conjured them all demon-appropriate attire, complete with tabards. When the glamour spell had been cast, Leo began to snicker. "What's so funny, mister?" asked Piper.

"You _do_ realize you've chosen almost identical faces to those of your older selves, right?" he replied. They looked in the mirror.

Older Phoebe shrugged. "Just goes to show we have great taste in any time."

"Ok, so lets get to this market," said Prue impatiently.

"Yes, lets," said the older Piper. "Paige?" The sisters and Chris all joined hands. "Be safe!" echoed Piper's voice as Leo watched the twinkling orbs float into the air.

"Same to you," he said quietly to himself.

The feeling, the personal tone of caring, he heard in her voice was something he hadn't felt since becoming a Whitelighter. Sure, the Elders and fellow Whitelighters shared a kind of love, but it a detached, impersonal, almost hypothetical kind of love like he had for his charges. Well, all except for _one_ charge. One to whom his whole heart was dedicated. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but it seemed like this future Piper felt that love for him too. Maybe even a deeper kind, informed by time and bonding. It made him hopeful for his current situation with his Piper. And so, for the moment, he didn't care if he was seeing signs that weren't there. He'd revel in his fantasy a little longer, in secret.

* * *

**Next Time On:** The sisters confront the Hawker, suffer the consequences, and Prue gets to know _Ask Pheobe_! 


	9. Traps

**Author's Notes:** Thanks for the feedback, keep it coming! To **Tony**, yes it's because they both have the name Wyatt, cursing kid Wyatt was just an unintentional consequence. Why the spell was written that way will be revealed later. To **bunn2007**, great comments. Yeah, they shouldn't be making so many mistakes, but eh, it's funner that way, right:) And yes, I'll be doing my best to avoid any cliched scenarios.

This is a rather shoort update but a more substantial one should be out in the next day or so.

**Chapter 8: Traps**

The Halliwells orbed in to a shadow dappled forest. It hardly looked like it housed a portal to the underworld, but that was probably the point. "This way," said Paige, taking the lead. "Remember. Badass, kindness-hating, puppy kicking demons for hire," she reminded them as she ducked through low lying branches. They reached a clearing about fifty yards from where they had landed. A pair of leather clad demons stood, arms crossed, next to a gnarled old oak tree.

"We demand entrance to the Market," said Phoebe, coldly. Hey younger self glanced for a split second her way, surprised by how well she could bring this demonic tone out of her voice.

"Password," stated the larger of the two demons. Chris immediately flung the demon back into a tree trunk, careful not to knock him out but not kill him. The adjacent guard merely nodded his head at this and waved his arm. "Enter." A portal opened up, revealing the wavy image of a bustling open-air marketplace. The group of disguised witches passed through, younger Phoebe giving the unconscious demon a small kick to the ribs as she passed, in an effort to appear tough. Prue just rolled her eyes.

When everyone was through the more experienced Piper grabbed the first warlock within arm's reached. She pulled him up by his collar within inches of her nose, and sneered at him, "Hawker. Where is he? _Now_." The last word was came out as almost a growl.

Looking shocked, then annoyed, he replied, "After the crook in the road. Fourth tent down, on the left."

Piper's eyes met Prue's for just a second before she tossed the warlock back. Just as she let him go, Prue squinted. He flew twenty feet back, landing in a pile of various freshly harvested organs. "Thanks," Piper said to Prue in a hushed tone. "Makes the natives less inclined to approach us." At the look on her younger self's face, Piper's demeanor reverted to her usual friendly self, and she shrugged. "You turn evil enough times, have a mischievous kid or two, and the menacing act gets pretty easy to fake." She smiled.

"Oh, _that's_ reassuring," replied the younger Piper half-jokingly.

The group pressed forward in as cocky a fashion each could muster, reaching the Hawker's tent in shirt order. He appeared to be finishing up a transaction, which apparently involved somebody's shrunken head, when they approached. "Tell your allies!" he finished.

"You!" said Piper, slamming a hand on his table.

"Got a problem, little lady?" he asked mockingly.

"_You've_ got a problem," added Prue.

Piper cocked her head in a no nonsense posture. "You tried to screw us over, _and_," she said, now raising her voice, "unless you want all your 'neighbors' to hear about it I suggest you take this in private."

"Who sent you?" He eyed them suspiciously.

"Inside!" growled Phoebe.

"Fine. Follow me." He slipped through a leather flap in the tent behind his stand. The younger Phoebe tried not to look too surprised as the room they entered appeared to not be so much a tent as a cavern. "It's magically sealed, so no unexpected eavesdroppers," explained the Hawker. "Now, who sent you?"

As the flap door shut, Paige immediately waved her hand at the Hawker shouting, "Crystals!" He jumped back, but only in time to slam against the magical barrier created by the crystals.

He hissed in pain. "Who are you?!" he demanded. With swirls of sparkling golden lights, their true identities were revealed. "The Charmed Ones?" he said, glancing back and forth in confusion.

Younger Phoebe smiled. "Double your pleasure."

"Double your fun," finished the older.

""What do you want? I'm but a simple merchant!"

"HA!" blurted both Pipers.

Prue threw a truth potion at the Hawker's feet. "Now - who hired you to go after\us?" demanded Prue.

"_You?_ I was told not to go after you – only your Whitelighter. You have no quarrel with me!" His eyes widened as he realized what the potion was compelling him to say.

"Yeah. _Right_," replied the older Piper. "Like you can just go after family-" she stopped herself. "-uh, people in our lives and not piss us off? So _names. NOW!_"

His eyes flicked to a medallion which had tumbled to the floor when he had fallen. "Uh, Kaalaya was the last name your kind gave him."

"_Our_ kind?" asked Chris.

"Mankind!" growled the demon.

Paige narrowed her eyes. "What can you tell us about him?"

"Just that he exists outside time. Outside the Underworld, the Elder World. But he can't enter our own plane, he was banished many millennia ago. He can only manipulate it from the outside." He looked panicked, yet still calculating.

"You're holding something back. Hiding," said Phoebe as she sensed his feelings.

A sly grin slid across his face. "Animus!" he suddenly shouted.

A hulk of a man clad in black rags appeared behind the younger Phoebe and Prue. Piper flicked her fingers but only sparks flew off his chest. "Ooh."

Paige's eyes darted about the room for something to call as Piper backed away from the intruder. The demon twisted his hand behind his back before bringing it forward again. Beams of light now shot from his hand, heading toward the sisters from the future. "No!" shouted both Phoebes in unison. The older Phoebe locked eyes with the demon as the younger leapt forward, pushing her older self out of the line of fire, but was caught in the beam herself, along with Paige, Chris, and the older Piper. The four Halliwells were frozen mid-step before being engulfed by a white light. As the elder Phoebe recovered from her roll across the floor she channeled the demon's power, redirecting it back into him, just moments too late.

"NO!" cried this present's Piper as she dived toward the scene, but her hands only met thin air. Her future son, future self, Paige, and present sister Phoebe had dematerialized, along with the demon, and compressed into a small, blood-red crystal.

Phoebe sat on the ground, elbows on her knees, and hands over her eyes. She sighed and looked up to see two young sisters, crushed, but also frozen in panic. They stared at her, their eyes pleading for direction. Phoebe turned to the Hawker. "Okay, you son of a bitch!" She pulled herself to her feet. "How do we undo this?!" She cocked her head as a thought occurred to her. She turned, tilting her face to the sky and began to chant a spell off the top of her head. "Protect this place, as if our space, let no demon, have entrance!" A blue light briefly engulfed the room before fading. "No more tricks or traps. Now, _tell me how_."

The Hawker had lost all bravado by now, realizing he was out of options. "He was merely a bodyguard. I don't know how his powers work. But if you know your history, as I think you do, he should be in your Book of Shadows."

"And what about this Kaalaya?" He shook his head, not opening his mouth. "You do realize that if you don't spill I'll hurt you so bad you'd wish you'd never been spawned, right?" threatened Phoebe angrily.

"Perhaps. But it won't be as bad as what he'll do to me."

Phoebe reached her hands out to her past sisters. "The spell to cover our tracks." They joined hands and began to chant.

_Memories wiped away will be_

_From this demon that we see_

_Instead of the Charmed Ones meeting he_

_Remembers only things ordinary_

The Hawker slumped to the floor and Phoebe picked up the crystals from the trap. Prue retrieved the red crystal that held her family. The older Phoebe snapped her fingers to replace their disguises. "Let's get out of here." When they were back in the woods and safely behind a tree she called for Leo.

He quickly orbed in, glancing around as he realized most of the party was missing. "What happened?"

"Later," answered Prue briskly. He nodded, putting a hand on each sister and they orbed back to the manor.

* * *

**Next Time:** The sisters work to free their family and discover their next step will lead them to Grams. 


	10. Exposition

**Author's Notes:** Here's hoping the explanation for the demon isn't too confusing. I'll change things if neccesary, but I've been told it's understandable. :) And yes, the translation of Kalaaya is accurate, oddly enough. Please, continue with the reviews and keep me going!

**Chapter 9: Exposition**

Immediately after returning to the manor the remaining sisters had sprung into action. Prue and her now older sister Phoebe had gone up to the attic while Piper stayed downstairs. She had gone into the kitchen to brew some tea – mostly as a way to keep her hands busy, since they didn't need all three just to flip through pages. Leo, meanwhile, had left to check with the Elders and se if they knew anything about Kaalaya.

Upstairs, Prue was flipping through the book, looking for the demon that had trapped her family. She'd gotten a third of the way through the book and still hadn't found anything. Phoebe sat at a table nearby, crystal in hand, focusing in the hopes of forcing a vision, when she was startled by a shout of frustration from Prue as she slammed the book shut.

"Dammit, Phoebe!" Prue looked up at the older Phoebe. "Sorry, not you. The other you."

Phoebe ran a hand through her hair. "You shouldn't be so hard on her, you know," she said gently. Phoebe's face wore a look of almost motherly calm. "She threw herself into danger to save us."

"She never thinks ahead! I have every right to be angry! She had no place putting herself in that danger – not with you more powerful ones around!" huffed Prue.

Phoebe remained calm in the face of Prue's tirade, as if a counselor. "She had _every_ right. We all put our lives on the line here. It's our destiny and we each have a part to play."

"But you're too reckless and now I might lose you!" Prue half shouted before she realized what had escaped her lips and who she was talking to.

Phoebe nodded. "I _was_ reckless. I still can be, sometimes." She smiled at Prue.

This wasn't the response Prue had expected from her slip up. Phoebe herself was surprised at her own lack of a reaction. In the past, in this time, in a heated situation like this, she would have gone into a defensive mode, using Prue's slip of the tongue as a way to pick at her rationale. She realized that she really had grown past the squabbling of their youth.

Phoebe continued, "But I looked up to you for as long as I can remember. I had to live up to your accomplishments. When I had a teacher they'd already had you and Piper as students and expected me to live up to that. Grams expected me to be driven like you, to be as successful as you _already_ were when I was just finishing high school. I suppose that's why I rebelled like I did. I didn't really think I could ever live up to your standard," she sighed and met Prue's eyes. "I'm just saying, she looks up to you. She… _I_ … need your approval. I never had Mom's. And Grams… she never said it, never has, but I know I never lived up to her dreams for me as a child, or a young woman – not until we became the Charmed Ones. But I'd always hoped for your approval. As a sister. That's why she argues with you and does whatever she wants."

Prue had softened, and sat down next to Phoebe, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm only hard on her because I worry about her…" said Prue quietly, finally realizing the impact she had on her sister.

"And that's what she needs to know," replied Phoebe. "That you love her. No matter what. I do, too." She blinked away the tears that had formed in her eyes. She'd never had the wherewithal to speak so openly with Prue before she'd died and the guilt of carrying those negative feelings about her dead sister had never fully left her.

"I'll make sure of it," said Prue.

"Make sure of what?" asked Piper as she carried in a tray of tea and sugar cookies.

"Our _big_ sister here was just giving me advice on how to be a better one," answered Prue with a smirk.

Piper smiled as she set the tray down. She'd never seen these two get along so well under this kind of pressure. It was refreshing to not have to play referee. "Have you come up with anything?"

Phoebe set the crystal down. "No visions. Our best bet is still the book."

"I'm not so sure about that," Prue replied. "There's just so much _in there_ and who knows how much time we have. We don't even know if the Hawker was just screwing with us – how would he know what's in the book, anyway?" She crossed her arms, obviously frustrated.

With a patient tone, like that of a teacher tutoring a frustrated student, Phoebe turned to Prue. "He _was_ under a truth potion," she pointed out, and then crossed over to the book. "Now, where did you leave off?"

Prue sighed and flipped it open. "About… here. Yeah."

"I think I have an idea to speed this up. Maybe. Possibly. Anyway, I always wanted to try it!" Phoebe smiled and extended a hand. "May I try something?" Prue hesitated a moment but then clasped her sister's hand. "Ok, try and channel that annoyance with me at how vague I'm being." She smiled at the look Prue gave her. "It's okay, I know the empathy thing has gotta be weird. I'd feel the same way. Anyway, channel it into your power, but don't move anything."

Prue gave her a quick look, but then focused and squinted. A scrying crystal suddenly flung itself across the table nearby. Phoebe nodded. "Good. Now let me..." Phoebe flicked her free hand and a pillow leapt into the air and across the room. "Oops." She flicked her hand again, this time getting a gentler toss this time. She did this a few more times before finally getting the pillow to hover and gently float about the room.

Prue's eyes widened in surprise and the pillow promptly dropped to the floor. "I can't do anything that subtle!" she exclaimed.

Phoebe shrugged. "Our powers are an effect of our emotions. They grow and change with us. All you need is a little emotional discipline and you can manipulate your powers more precisely. At least… I think that's how Leo explained it." She took Prue's hand again. "I stole your car in 9th grade and blamed that dent in Grams' car on you."

"What?!" exclaimed Prue.

Phoebe smirked. "I need you to be angry again. And I was the one that stained that blouse you borrowed from Stacy Walsh in high school. Oh! _There_ we go!" she said brightly as she felt the anger flow out of her sister.

"Oooh, you!" grumbled Prue, but Phoebe had already turned her attention to the book. She flipped her fingers and the pages began to quickly flutter by. Her eyes darted back and forth as the pages turned just slowly enough for her to see the title. Two thirds of the way through the book, and just over a minute later, she flattened her hand across a page, smoothing the book open.

"Got our man! Or should I say… booby-trap? Looks like he's not so much an actual demon but more like a demonic guard dog. It's a conjured trap for trespassers, but it resets itself, into that crystal form, when damaged. So it's not so bright. Good news is it's an easy spell to reverse! Ready?"

"Oh! One second!" said Piper, grabbing the tea tray and placed it outside the attic door. "What? I've had it with the broken – well, everything! Ok," she finished as she closed the door.

Prue looked sideways at her now older sister. "And the point of that _was_? I mean sure, saved us some time, but… isn't that personal gain or something?"

Phoebe shrugged, embarrassed. "No… I don't think so. It's a magical problem and all, but yeah, ok, so mostly I just envied your power since we got them, and really just wanted to try it." She tilted her head. _Huh. I think my younger self might be having a bad influence on me_, she considered, half-amused.

Phoebe shrugged, refocusing on the book and recited the spell she had found. A ball of red light expanded from the crystal and when it reached the size of a person, popped into a million glittery flashes of light to reveal the trapped Halliwells and the demon. They were caught in mid-action, which they abruptly stopped as they realized something had changed and they froze, confused. "Piper! Questions later, blow him up _now_!" shouted the older Phoebe.

Piper eyed the demon for a split second, glanced around, and then blew him to dust before he had time to realize what was going on. She put her hand on her hips. "We screwed up, didn't we?" she asked, non-plussed by the situation she now found herself in.

"You could say that," replied Prue.

Piper raised an eyebrow. "So. What did we miss?" she asked with a smirk.

After everyone had been filled in to what had happened after they had been trapped in crystal form, the group turned back to the book. The older Piper was flipping through the book, looking for anything on Kaalaya.

Chris crossed his arms and leaned against a wall. "If this demon really has been trapped for eons there's no way any of your ancestors ran across him."

"Uh, he's a _time_ demon. Why not?" replied Paige.

"Because, he obviously uses others to do his dirty work. None of your ancestors would have been powerful enough to track him down," explained Chris.

"Still," said Piper, "It doesn't hurt to look. Besides, we're at a dead end otherwise." The tinkling sound of orbs interrupted any further discussion, as Leo appeared next to the younger Piper.

"Please tell me they know something for once," said the older Phoebe at his appearance.

"Yes, actually, they did," replied Leo. He inhaled, organizing his thoughts. This was big. "Kaalaya is Sanskrit for 'Lord of Time'. He doesn't have a proper name – kind of like The Source. He came into existence in an ancient time before such conventions. Even the Elders aren't entirely sure how old he is."

"So what _do_ they know?" asked Prue.

"We know he battled a powerful force of good thousands of years ago. They didn't have the power to vanquish him, but were going to banish his to another plane of existence."

"Great. Ancient, powerful force of good couldn't vanquish him, how are we supposed to pull that off?" said Prue.

"Well, we _are_ the Charmed Ones. If we defeated the Ultimate Power, we can take this bastard down," replied the older Piper matter of factly. "And we have the Power of Six. Theoretically," she shrugged and turned back to Leo. "Anything else?"

"Just don't make the mistake of underestimating him. When the spell was cast to banish him the last time he cast his own counter-spell. The combination backfired, though, trapping him in his own pocket realm," continued Leo, crossing his arms. "After that it's only what's been gathered from demons he's worked with in the past, so most of it's reliability is questionable. But over the centuries a few pieces have remained consistent. We know that the flow of time in realm he's trapped in is tied to our own, so anything that happens to him he can't go back and fix. The portals he creates work the same way – once he's opened one to a period of time the portal is bound to that period's flow of time."

"So what's to stop him from just opening up a new portal slightly earlier than the last if something goes wrong?" asked Prue.

"The portals are bound to the time they're opened to – and he can't close one once it's been opened without leaving… holes, weak points, I guess you could call them, in the barrier to his realm. So, he can't close too many. Anyway, those portals into our realm move forward in time and should one intersect into another his realm would most likely collapse onto itself, destroying him." Leo could see the sister's eyes glazing over in confusion.

Chris straightened up. "Let me see if I've got this right. He's magically trapped in a pocket realm but is bound by our time. So, wherever he is, the same amount of time that passes here, passes there?" Leo nodded. "Ok, so he can reach through time, but those portals are bound to the time that they're opened into. Kinda like having windows open on a computer?"

"Or picture-in-picture on a tv…" said Paige and she slowly wrapped her mind around this time stuff.

"Right, basically," said Leo.

Chris continued, eyes rolled up in thought, "And two of these portal's intersecting would destroy his realm and him."

"But why wouldn't he just pop out into our realm? Or if he can pull objects in and out of the portal, why can't he just climb out?" asked the older Phoebe.

Chris handled this one. "If that realm was created by his powers mingling with a spell then he's probably bound by it's essence. It's a part of him."

"Exactly," said Leo. "Anyhow, the rumor is that he's looking to reform the Triad. But the Triad always comes back, eventually. They're never truly gone."

"What? Why didn't you mention this before?" exclaimed the younger Piper.

"I didn't want to worry you. It takes years for them to even reform as ghosts," he replied. Piper grunted in frustration.

"Seven years, actually. And we did vanquish them. Permanently," said the older Piper, interrupting the lover's spat. She was in no mood for it. Leo raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I didn't know that could be done." The older Piper shrugged. Leo considered something for a moment. "And creates a major power vacuum. That may be what he's after. Legend has it that the Triad was created when the three branches of evil joined to become as one. That's where the name came from – kind of a demonic take on the Power of Three. He's a demon, which means he'll need to join with a warlock and a darklighter to form a new Triad."

"And just _how_ are we supposed to figure out which of the thousands of warlocks and darklighters out there he's going to join with?" asked Prue.

Leo shrugged. "I'm not sure, just yet."

"Ok," replied the older Piper slowly. "But I still don't understand how he could know when to strike. If two portals can't intersect, then how can he reach backwards in time while still watching it?"

"Probably a window, of sorts," Leo explained. "That was one of his powers, the ability to create windows to observe other places, distant lands, as well as time. He could watch our world, the time and place that he's bound to, without creating a portal."

"How _convenient_ for him," said the older Piper, exasperated.

"And inconvenient for us," replied Paige with a sigh. "So now what?"

The older Piper clicked her tongue once as she came to a decision and offered her thoughts. "I'd rather avoid going after this Kaalaya guy if we can - at least until we're better prepared. So in the meantime, I think we should disrupt his plan and save Leo."

"Then make him wish he'd never messed with the Halliwells," added Prue.

"Right," said Paige. "So let's find this warlock or darklighter he's in league with."

"But how?" asked the younger Phoebe. "I mean, can't he chose anyone he wants from any time he wants? And wouldn't he pull the most powerful ones in history? I mean, wouldn't he want the most powerful evil to join with him to make the greatest power?"

"Not exactly. It's not really the power of the individuals that creates the Triad's power," explained Leo. "It's the union of dark magical heritages – like your bond as sisters creates a greater power than you have as individuals."

"Besides," added Chris, "we know he can't pull powerful people out of their time permanently. Not without risking changing history radically enough that the Triad is never vanquished.

Paige cocked her head to the side. "But how does killing Leo in our time help him? I mean he's – _y'know_," she said with a hinting look at the sisters from her time, "not a threat." She ignored the looks of inquiry from the sisters and especially Leo from this time. She wasn't about to be the one to drop _that _bombshell. "And why did he reach back in time just to have some warlocks make an amulet?"

"The Lunar Hand must have possessed a certain ability he needed," answered Chris. "If they're already vanquished in the future he'd need to go back to a time when they were still alive."

The older Piper shut the Book of Shadows, looking up. "I don't think it was his intention to kill _our_ Leo. That amulet was in storage – and he couldn't have known we'd go looking in it that day. He can't see the future," she stopped a moment and frowned. "He can't, can he Leo?"

He smiled, "Uh, no."

Piper nodded. "Right. Which means he probably left it there for Leo sometime in the past when he'd have been using that chest."

"But wouldn't that change history so that we never vanquish the Triad? I mean, we need him," blurted out the younger Piper. She cringed a little inside and hoped she hadn't betrayed her still present feelings for Leo. _But then, I already know we end up together, with kids and everything_, she thought and sighed. _This future business is such a headache. I don't even know what I feel anymore._

"Maybe he knows something we don't," offered Prue who didn't seem to have caught Piper's internal conflict.

"Yeah," agreed Paige, "with all those seers and oracles and _forecasters_, or whatever, who knows what they can figure out. What do you think, Leo?" When he didn't answer she turned around to see his him standing with his back towards her, looking down at something. "Uh, Leo?"

He turned around, a look of alarm on his face, and the younger sisters gasped at what they saw. Leo's entire right arm was transparent. "What's going on?" asked Prue.

"He's fading from existence," replied the older Phoebe, concern painted across her face. "Looks like someone just made a move on Leo."

"Then why didn't he and Chris just pop out of existence?" asked her younger self.

"Destiny is a hard thing to change. It resists," answered Leo.

Chris nodded. "Yeah, the bigger the event, that is the more destined it is, the longer it takes for the universe to shift. I like to think of it as the powers that be giving time for things to be put right. Which is exactly what we need to do before I start disappearing as well."

"But what about the warlock and the darklighter," asked the younger Phoebe.

The Piper from 2007, already knowing their next move, picked up a piece of paper as she answered. "Chances are one of them is responsible for this so we're going to whenever his sorry ass is." She began scribbling down a spell.

"Cool!" exclaimed the younger Phoebe. "What?" she asked at the look she got from her other sisters. "What? I kinda like this time travel stuff."

"What?! Oh, no, no, no – you're not coming with us!" exclaimed the elder Piper. "It's _way_ too dangerous!"

"We can take care of ourselves," replied Prue.

"No," shot back Piper. "What if something happens to one of you? It'll erase our future existence as well."

Prue shook her head. "No. It seems to me that we have a pretty strong destiny. If something happens I'm sure we'll figure out a way to set it straight long before it's permanent. Besides, you don't think I'm going to let my sisters, from _any_ time, just go off to battle a powerful demon without me there to protect them, do you?" Prue put her hands on her hips.

The older Piper sighed. "I don't know… I mean, we don't even know where or when we're heading. We could end up in the middle of a battlefield in the south pacific."

Prue smirked, knowing it was just a small step before she'd won the argument. "I kinda doubt Leo is looking at a piece of jewelry in the middle of a battle. But still, the danger is an even better reason to have us along. The more firepower the better, right?" Piper still looked hesitant to agree.

"She has a point, Piper," said her Phoebe. "I mean, I don't wanna cease to exist any more than you do, but it's safer for us and them. We're dealing with a time demon. What's to stop him from reaching back here and going after our past selves if he realizes that we vanquished the Lunar Hand?"

"Yeah!" agreed her younger self, enthusiastically.

Piper sighed in resignation. "Okay, okay. I guess I'm out voted here… _and_ you're probably right," she conceded. "Let's just be careful, okay?" They all nodded. She turned to her son. "But Chris, I need you to stay here and watch after Leo. If he starts completely disappearing into the ghostly plane you'll know we've probably failed. It'll be up to you to find a way to warn us. Find a way to keep us from repeating our mistake, somehow, before you disappear too." She said the last quietly, as if it wasn't heard it wouldn't happen.

Chris wrapped his arms around her. "I'll see you back here in a few minutes, mom," he reassured her, confidently. "Just remember," he began, but was cut off by Piper.

"Future consequences, yeah, yeah," she said.

He smirked. "No. Just remember that you guys can do anything. You saved _my_ future. This'll be a piece of cake."

Piper tilted her head considering the young man before her. He may have the memories of the evil future that they'd prevented, but the second lifetime of memories had softened the harder edges she remembered from his first visit. And he sure as hell wasn't as neurotic. She smiled at him. "Love you."

"Love you too. No go! Time's a wasting!" He finished lightly.

Paige huffed. "Really? Seems like we've got way too much of it" she said with a smirk as she picked up her potion filled purse.

The younger Phoebe hefted the Book of Shadows from 2007 off a table. "Don't want to forget this! Maybe we can vanquish some Nazis!"

Prue frowned. "Those are people, Pheebs. Evil people, but still people."

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "It was a _joke_, Prue. Yeesh!"

"Ladies?" said the oldest sister in the room as she flapped the paper with the spell in the air. Prue and Phoebe looked at each other sheepishly before joining their other sister's side. They all joined hands and began reading reciting the spell.

_"Hear these words, hear the rhyme,_

_heed the hope within my mind, _

_send me back to where I'll find, _

_the spell that erased Leo from this time." _

Leo nodded. "What _is_ that?"

Chris shrugged. "Beats me. Guess it's the taste of, well, not tasting I guess. Wait 'til the tingling starts." He shook his head in reflection.

Leo scrunched his eyebrows. "You've faded before?"

Chris shrugged one shoulder. "Let's just say… I've seen a lot. Even for a Halliwell."

* * *

**Next Time: The girls get a little help from Penny, the sisters get a little advice from their "cousins" and Leo gets the surprise of his afterlife!**


	11. Little Witches

**Author's Notes:** I know things look like they're getting a little convoluted here, but stay with me! I'll do my best to keep the character doubles down to a minimum so it's not all too confusing. I got my characterization for the latest set of sisters from they way they acted on the show under the Sibling Rivalry spell, so hopefully I've captured that.

Thanks again for all the feedback, especially to my most regular of reviewers: **piperloveleoalways**, **bunn2007,** and** lordkray**. And to answer your question, yes season 2 Piper hasn't been blowing things up. If you recall that scene when they first meet, 2007 Piper revealed that power by blowing up that orange. :)

* * *

**Chapter 10: Little Witches**

The six sisters materialized in the foyer of the manor, just in front of the door. A passing car's radio was blaring the song, "Tainted Love". Paige rolled her eyes. "Great. Now that'll be stuck in my head for a week," she whispered.

"Well, we can't have gone back that far then," said Prue quietly. "And the house doesn't look _that_ different."

Suddenly they could hear young voices squabbling in another room. "Well! If _Piper_ hadn't just let him in the he couldn'ta got to chase us all over everywhere!"

"I didn't mean to," replied a dejected little voice.

"You just didn't open it 'cause you're a scaredy cat, _Prudence_," answered a third, youngest voice.

"Am not a – "

"Enough!" All six Charmed Ones flinched. Grams' angry voice still packed a wallop. Grams' tone softened. "Girls, he was a bad man and would have found a way into the house one way or another…"

The Phoebe from 1999 grinned at her sisters. "Our warlock?" she whispered.

"Maybe…" replied the older Piper in a hushed tone. She was distracted by the scene she vaguely remembered from her childhood.

Grams was in the middle of one of her patented life-lesson monologues. "… but you could all stand to be a bit more careful. You're just lucky I was here. I need you all to remember that when you work together nothing can stop you. You need to trust each other and especially your gifts." She turned to the eldest sister, cupping Prue's face in her hand. "Prudence. Your name is exactly what you have in abundance – common sense. Piper, you have an inner strength that you don't realize yet, but I've seen glimpses of it since you were a tiny girl. It's why your sisters turn to you in their squabbles." She finally turned to the seven-year-old. "And little Phoebe… no one feels as deeply as you do, and no one understands other people as well as you. You all need to use your talents to help each other. Not to push their buttons, Phoebe. Or to think it entitles you to boss your sisters around, Prue. And Piper, honey, you need to stand up for yourself! Don't just support your sisters at the expense of yourself."

Paige smiled. "Good advice in any time."

"Shhh!" hissed the older Phoebe. "She probably doesn't remember us from 1975."

Piper shook her head, whispering, "No. When I came back to about this time with Mom she didn't know who I was."

"Great. She's gonna think we're warlocks again!" whispered Prue. "We should get out of here!"

Piper held up a hand. "No. We came to this time and place which means Paige is probably right – that guy was our warlock. We need to talk to Grams. I think I have an idea. I hope," she said, before stepping into the entryway, revealing herself.

"Who's there!" exclaimed Penny. She quickly stood up protectively, putting her body between the children and the intruders. "Who are you?!"

The younger Phoebe popped her head around the corner. "It's okay, it's just us Grams!" The rest of the sisters joined her in the doorway. Piper began to recite her spell as Penny hesitated for a moment, both confused and clearly outnumbered.

_Let Grams' memory be unbound_

_Let what was lost now be found_

_Of our visit to 1975_

_Her memory…_

"…come alive?" she finished, hoping the rhyme would work. She held her breath in anticipation. Why had she been so reckless? Piper wondered. _Maybe I've been spending too much time with our past selves._

A glow of white light engulfed Penny's face for just a moment and she immediately visibly relaxed. "It's nice to see you girls again… all of you?" She looked down at the little ones behind her. "Girls, these are your, uh, cousins. From very far away. No time for introductions, off to school!" She gently pushed them towards their backpacks.

"What about lunch?" asked little Prue.

"You can get some money from my purse," answered Grams. "Then I'll drive you."

"Uh, actually, Penny," interrupted the eldest Piper awkwardly, "This is kind of urgent. Time is of the essence sort of thing."

Penny nodded. "Right. Prue, I can't drive you today."

"But Andy's mom already left with him. Are we just supposed to walk twelve miles?" Prue asked with an obnoxious pre-teen sarcasm.

At Grams' flustered look, the 24-year old Phoebe piped up, "I'll drive! I mean, if that's okay?"

"Do you remember where Woodard Elementary is?" asked Grams.

Phoebe shrugged. "Vaguely. But I'm sure Prue here won't hesitate to tell me if I've made a wrong turn." The older Prue shot her sister a sarcastic smile that let her know she'd get her back later for that comment.

The 12 year old Prue, for her part, looked suspicious. Something was weird about this. "How would you know where our school is?"

Phoebe squirmed uncomfortably. How did even pre-teen Prue make her feel 7 years old again? "Uh, your Grams writes us about you all the time. You probably don't remember our last visit when you were only five. And we used to live in San Francisco – that is, when we were your age. And went to the same school."

Still unsure, especially after this morning's incident with the strange man, Prue hesitated before finally agreeing to the plan. Phoebe smiled broadly. "Don't want to miss a chance this time to spend time with little Phoebe… and little Prue and Piper."

"I'm not little!" protested the younger Prue, "I'm almost a teenager!"

"Oh, of course, how silly of me!" said Phoebe, smirking at her Prue. "Ok, ladies, let's roll!" she said, grabbing Grams' keys from the coffee table, and headed out the door with her charges following in a line like little ducklings.

When the door had shut Grams stood up and crossed the room to her adult grand daughters. "It's wonderful to see my girls again… but to what do I owe this," she glanced between the two Pipers, and the raven-haired woman she didn't know, "_very_ strange visit?"

"We're here to stop a demon from changing – hey, _waitaminute_!" The older Phoebe looked into Penny's eyes, narrowing her own, "Grams? What's wrong? What are you worried about?"

Grams straightened up, bluffing, knowing her problems were probably nothing compared to whatever reason her granddaughters had come back in time. "Oh, it's nothing really."

"No… you're really concerned," pushed Phoebe.

"No use trying to fool her," piped in Paige, "She's an empath."

Penny clapped her hands together excitedly. "Oh! How wonderful! Your powers are expanding!"

Phoebe put her hands on her hips. "Don't try and change the subject. Are we in danger, here?"

"No! No. Well, not _you_. The little ones. That intruder was a warlock. One more powerful than any I've ever encountered. No matter what I threw at him, I couldn't vanquish him. I only managed to wound him a little," answered Penny.

"But he'll be back!"

"Yes, Prue dear, That's why I called an old friend of mine. You can come out now!" Penny called into the kitchen. She then turned back to the sisters. "Even with your powers bound you're occasionally in danger from the Underworld. They still know you're witches, and would like to steal your bound powers."

"Anyhow, I knew, know, whatever - you need a new whitelighter in case something attacked when I wasn't around - even if you never received your powers. He's one of the best. I personally requested him for you girls." A well-built blonde man, wearing a t-shirt and tool belt, walked in from the kitchen. "Girls, I'd like you to meet –"

"Leo!" exclaimed both Pipers in unison.

Grams smiled. "So you _do_ know him!"

Piper gave her Grams a knowing smile. "You could say that."

Leo was drying his hands on a rag. "Do I know you?" he asked genially.

Grams patted him on the shoulder. "Leo, these are my granddaughters!" At his confused look, she added, "From the future."

He smiled, nodding. "Good to know you're still safe. But why are there two…?" he paused, unsure which adult sister this was.

The older version smiled. "We're Piper."

"I'm Prue."

"And we're Pheobe," she blinked realizing there was only one of her in the room. "Uh, another Phoebe just took the little us's to school."

"Ah," Leo nodded, still a little confused.

"We, me, the other Phoebe and Prue, are from 1999," said Piper.

"And _we're_ Paige," she added, feeling a little left out. "Fourth sister." Grams raised her eyebrows at this, but for the sake of her granddaughter's safety she didn't mention that she was already born.

The older Piper gestured between herself and her sisters. "We're from 2007."

Leo raised his eyebrows, unsure what of what to say, before his whitelighter mode kicked in. "Time travel isn't to be undertaken lightly. I hope whatever you're here for is important."

"Saving the Charmed Ones, and saving you? Kinda important, yeah," Paige replied sarcastically.

"The Charmed Ones?" he asked.

"That's us!" said Phoebe brightly.

"I'm the whitelighter to the Charmed Ones, huh?" said Leo, a bit of pride creeping into his voice.

Paige smirked. "Oh, you're more than _that_ buddy!" Piper elbowed her sister in the ribs, warning her with widened eyes. Paige quickly backpedaled. "Uh, never mind that."

Penny cleared her throat. "Anyway, he's here now because I wanted him to look at this pendant. It fell off the warlock." She reached into her pocket, pulling out a necklace and reached to hand it to Leo.

"NO!" all the sisters exclaimed at once.

Penny stopped, her hand instinctively moving to her chest. "What?"

"Here," said the older Piper, as she gingerly took the pendant from Penny's hands. "Let's just keep this thing at a safe distance, hm?" She stuffed it into her own pants pocket.

Grams eyed her granddaughter. "I take it that's the reason you came back to 1983?"

"Yes," answered Piper. "Well, no – not exactly." She sighed in frustration. "It's complicated… do you have an asprin?" Piper held a hand to her head. _And I'd been doing so well. I need a nap, _she thought.

"Here, let me." Leo said, raising his hands to her head and her headache faded as the warm glow dimmed from his hands.

"Thanks," she said a little self-consciously.

"So just what do you know?" asked Penny.

The girls took turns describing the events that had led them to this time and place, and all that had happened to leave them here - gingerly leaving out the details about Chris, of course.

Grams raised an eyebrow when their story was finished. She had her game face on. "So it seems your enemy is our enemy."

"So it seems," echoed the eldest Piper.

"Uh, there's one thing I don't get," began Paige.

"_One_ thing?"

Paige shot Phoebe a withering glance at this remark before continuing. "What did you mean, '_new_ whitelighter'?" she asked Penny.

"Why… to replace Lynn. The night before last the warlock killed your 'babysitter', she was your whitelighter actually - Lynn."

Prue nodded slowly. "Oh, yeah, I remember her. Sort of. I guess I just assumed I was too old for a babysitter so you stopped having her come over."

Grams shook her head. "Always in such a rush to grow up, Prudence." She paused for a moment. "You mean to say that Lynn isn't your whitelighter in the future?"

The older Piper shook her head. "No. Leo has always been our guy." She studied her future husband's face. "What is it Leo?" She could read him in any time.

Leo looked at her a little surprised. He prided himself on his ability to hide his inner feelings from his charges. "Well… it' just…" he paused to organize his thoughts, then looked at one set of sisters. "You're from the past –I mean, their past, right?" he asked.

The younger sisters nodded. "And you," he gestured at the older trio of women, "were in their time when I started to fade?" The older ones nodded now. "That's good. That means this may not be such a mess after all," he said with a smile.

"Care to bring us along on that thought train?" asked Paige wryly.

"Well, if the demon's plan was to change the past and I will know you in _both_ sets of your futures… I _am_ your whitelighter, right?" he asked.

A realization began to dawn on Paige's face. "And we were outside the timeline…" The realization slowly spread to the other sisters.

"Then our memories wouldn't have been changed by events set in motion after we left 2007…" continued Phoebe.

"So, if you were, are, our whitelighter in 1999, then Leo was destined to be our whitelighter all along?" finished the younger Piper with some uncertainty.

"So… whatever happened here was _supposed_ to happen – with the warlock I mean," concluded Prue.

Leo nodded. "One way or another I was destined to be your whitelighter."

"See, this time travel stuff?" remarked the older Piper, "Never gonna get these paradoxes."

"Tell me about it!" agreed her younger self.

"What Leo is saying," interjected Penny, "is that it is yours and Leo's destiny to be together."

"What?!" exclaimed Piper, "How do you know about that?!"

Penny and Leo looked at her strangely. "Because you told us," Leo tried to clarify.

The eldest, and exhausted, Piper's eyes widened. She held up her left hand with the wedding band, waving it about a couple of times. "About us being together?!" She squinted at Penny. "I didn't tell you that - Grams, did you get to keep your memory? And _why_ would you tell _Leo?!_" At this, the other sisters realized Piper's mistake and were frantically trying to shush her. Phoebe grabbed Piper's left hand, pushing it down to her side. Piper shot her an annoyed look and continued ranting. "I suppose you know about the kids, too? Coop didn't take you back far enough to erase your memory, _did_ he? Ooh, I am gonna _kill_ him…"

Piper was talking a mile a minute and all this spilled out of her mouth before Prue could clamp her hand over Piper's mouth. Paige rolled her eyes. "Way to keep a level head there, sis." Piper looked at Leo, who looked dumbfounded, and her mouth dropped open, still behind Prue's hand. "Did I just…," she said muffled.

Leo had only met the 10 year old Piper for a few minutes as she'd hovered over him while he was pretending to tinker with the kitchen sink. Next, he'd just met this older version for a brief time, and now he was being told that he would marry her and… father her children? Sure, she was attractive, mesmerizing even, but how could he? Never mind the age thing - existing as an ageless angel had a way of making a person relate to others relative to the age they had been when they'd died. No, it was the rules. How could he have broken the rules and had a forbidden romance? And kids? Had he clipped his wings for her?

At Leo's gape-mawed expression Piper fully realized the gravity of her slip-up. Her eyes widened almost to the size of golf-balls. This was bad. She pulled her sister's hand from her mouth.

Paige huffed, crossing her arms. "I don't suppose you could just, I dunno, forget all that could ya?"

Piper ran the palm of her hand up her cheek and across her forehead tiredly. _What was that?_ She thought_, I don't make those kind of __**major**__ mistakes anymore. I've been with my past too long. What, am I going to revert to a squabbling ten year old next?_

* * *

The group had taken a moment to let Grams, and especially Leo, digest the revelation. Leo's face altered between confusion at how all this could have come to pass, and delight at the photos of his children that Phoebe had slipped to him. Finally, he sometimes shifted simply into a dumbfounded silence as he continued to consider what he'd heard.

The eldest Piper meanwhile was exasperated at herself. "_I,_" she announced, "am an _idiot_!" She flung her hands into the air.

"Oh, no honey. No you're not," began her Phoebe. "You just – "

"No, no, no. I'm an excitable idiot! I swear, I must be losing it." She shook her head. "And should we be telling him the rest of this? I've done this enough times – you'd think I'd know how to keep my mouth shut when it really counts. Be evasive, y'know? How can Chris be so good at it and not me?!" she whined to herself, pacing across the dining room for the hundredth time. The younger Piper just sat watching her older self. It was strange to get to actually watch one of her freak-outs, but almost comforting to know that she hadn't changed _that_ much over the years.

Phoebe smirked. "I think he got that from Leo. Remember when he first became our whitelighter and thought he could get away with that mysterious wise man bit?"

Prue took Piper by the shoulders and gently pushed her down into a chair, handing her a cup of coffee Grams had just brewed. Prue smiled, laughter in her eyes. "What's so funny?" asked Piper.

"Nothing," answered Prue. "It's just nice to see that the panicky Piper I grew up with is still in there somewhere," she said tapping on Piper's heart. "Through all this you've seemed so together, that I guess seeing a little chink in your armor makes me feel less… inadequate."

Piper's expression softened as she deflated a little. "Oh, believe me, there's _plenty_ of chinks in my armor." She turned, looking at the sister's of her time. "I think we all just fill in the parts where we each lack." She took a sip of her coffee and her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Bailey's, Grams!? Trying to liquor up your granddaughter? At nine-o-clock in the morning?"

Grams waved it off. "You're an adult and you need to calm yourself. Besides, we could use a little Luck of the Irish," she joked. "And don't worry about any of this. I'll have Leo dust me when you leave and the Elders will wipe his memory as well. Now – lets get down to business. Would one of you girls be a dear and get the book? It's in the attic." She frowned, considering something. "Oh, but you're locked out."

"No problem!" said Paige cheerfully. "Book of Shadows!" she called out and the book from her time orbed into her hands from where they'd left it in the foyer.

Leo's eyes widened. "Are you my daughter?!" he exclaimed.

Paige smirked with a chuckle. "Uh, no. I'm Patty's. Clandestine fling with her whitelighter, forbidden love and all. I kinda like to think I paved the way for you and Piper's kids, actually." She looked at Leo's blank expression. "Information overload?" He nodded dumbly. She shrugged good naturedly. "Sorry! But, uh if you could keep me secret from Them," she glanced up at the heavens, "that'd be just super." She paused, getting more serious when he just blinked at her. "No. Really…"

Leo nodded. "I wouldn't do anything to change the future, anyhow," he reassured her.

"I'm back," the younger Phoebe yelled, announcing the obvious. "What did I miss?"

"Oh, just our future Piper here spilling the beans on her and Leo's destined marriage!" teased Prue.

"Yes. And that the demon or warlock or whatever that's after Leo is the same things that's after us," interjected the younger Piper.

"Which is why you girls need to focus," said Grams. She took the book from Paige and quickly began flipping through the pages.

Paige stood stiffly, her hands still frozen in midair in the position of holding the book. "Should she, uh, be looking through that? Uh, _Grams?_ Future consequences, or something?" she said, trying, and failing, to channel something Chris would have said.

But Penny either didn't hear her, or ignored her, and was engrossed in her search. She soon erupted in an "Ah-_ha_!" stopping on a page with a drawing of a picture of a darklighter. "Borzai! That's him. I guess he wasn't a warlock – but then, where did he get those powers I saw?"

Piper frowned. "But it says here that he's a young darklighter – he's hardly powerful enough to be a real threat. How could _he_ have resisted your potions, Grams?"

"Obviously he's working with someone," said Leo from the couch. He had pushed thoughts of his destiny aside and gone into whitelighter mode.

"Which we already knew," said the younger Piper. "The question is, why recruit this guy? What makes him so special?"

Prue ran a finger along the description. "It says here that he's notorious for scheming, making alliances with more powerful demons to protect him – in exchange for protection," she replied.

"So maybe he's channeling some other demon's power?" mused the eldest Phoebe.

"Maybe…" said Leo, "or been given that power in exchange for taking out your whitelighter."

The older Piper shook her head. "But that still doesn't explain why a powerful upper-level demon like Kaalaya would ally himself with such an inexperienced darklighter," said Piper.

"Unless, maybe he has some sort of mystical connection to the demon?" asked Prue.

"Or Leo…" said Piper as an idea formulated in his head.

The younger Phoebe furrowed her brow. "But that doesn't make any sense. Leo is a whitelighter. How could a darklighter be connected to him?"

Leo began slowly, "Maybe a shared destiny…" he got up and crossed over to the book. Leo studied the drawing of a face which peered menacingly out of the book. "It couldn't be…" he said quietly.

* * *

**Next Time On: **Leo's first mortal life comes back to haunt him, the little girls learn a few things from their "cousins", and Grams just can't keep her nose out of it and let her girls do their job! 


	12. Growing Up With Grams

**Author's Notes:** This section went a little longer than I thought it would, so I've broken it up into 2 chapters, so some stuff I'd hinted would be in this chapter will be in the next. Thank you, thank you, thank you, reviewers! Without you I would lose my motivation. And good guess **bunn2007**:)

**Chapter 11**:** Growing Up with Grams**

Leo studied the sketch of the darklighter, Borzai, a look of concern painted across his face. "He's more grizzled, but maybe…"

"What? What is it?" asked the 27 year old Piper.

Leo set his jaw, seriously, "I might have known him. Before I died."

"In the army?" asked the older Piper.

Leo looked surprised for a moment before realizing she probably knew all about his past if they really were married in the future. "Yes. He was a part of my Company for a while when I first enlisted."

"Do you have any photos of your old unit?" his future wife asked.

A sour look crossed his face. "I'd rather not…" he trailed off, but looked up when he felt Piper's hand on his.

It was the sister from 2007 and she looked deeply into his eyes. "I know it's hard, but I also know you and your inner strength to face whatever you need to for the greater good. And I know _you_ know this is important." She squeezed his hand for emphasis.

He sighed, nodding in agreement. Her eyes darted at her family's faces as she soon noticed all those not from her time, including her own self, staring at her. She realized her pose and rapidly withdrew her hand from his, exhaling quickly as she broke into a toothy grin. "Sorry. Habit!"

Leo smirked mildly. "Its ok. I'll, uh, go get that stuff." He quickly orbed out.

Grams furrowed her brow in disapproval. "If I'd known he was going to seduce my little girl I'd never have called for him. Should've known," she muttered to herself, recalling their hippy-dippy days. "… always was on the prowl. Maybe I'll just get Wendy instead…"

"No! No! No! No! No!" urged the married Piper excitedly. "That's alright! We didn't even meet until 1999. Really, Grams, he did his best to stay away from me, he really did. We're just… meant to be," she finished.

"Yeah," affirmed Paige, "after all the fighting they've had to do to stay together, you're not gonna stop it. Besides, you know the rules, no changing destiny!"

"Well… alright. But I don't have to like it. I see someone's learned to appeal to my sense of wiccan duty to get her way," said Grams with a smirk.

"Don't worry, you won't even remember this," laughed Paige.

Leo orbed back in looking like he'd managed to get back in to whitelighter mode. He blew some dust off the top of a box and pulled out a small photo album. "Here," he handed it to Penny, "see if you recognize anyone."

Grams sat down and carefully scanned each photo. After a few minutes she squinted and pulled out her reading glasses. "I think… yes, Leo, who is this man? I'd recognize that rat-face anywhere," she said, pointing out a skinny man standing behind Leo and a couple of other soldiers.

Leo leaned over to see the man Penny had her finger on. "That was our Company's second in command. First Sergeant Wilkins. Real bastard." He raised his eyebrows. "More so than I realized, I guess. He was about to be court-martialed for some pretty nasty things he did to some Japanese POWs the last time I saw him." Leo shook his head. "That war inspired great heroism and great evil – on both sides. A lot of white and darklighters were made in that era. Anyway, the last I heard was his Jeep had exploded mysteriously on his way to the trial. Mystery solved, I guess," he shrugged.

"What do you mean?" asked Prue, intrigued by this information about their still mysterious whitelighter's past.

"Well, much as I was made a whitelighter because of the good I did in my life, the demonic realm recruits people who have committed great evils," he explained. "If he really is the darklighter that Penny saw, then that must be what happened to him. He'd also probably be the only one who would know the perfect place in time to strike and kill me before I've earned my wings. Back during the war, that is."

"But he attacked here," said Prue. "Now."

"True," Leo nodded. "But from what you all have described, this sounds like a prolonged and intricate attack. If Wilkins _does_ intend to go back to when I was mortal and strike there, then that would mark three crucial points in my life that he's attacked – three points that relate to the Charmed Ones, anyway. If I'm as crucial to your fate as you've implied… what better way to destroy it than to take me out before it's fulfilled?"

The Piper of 1999 rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me we have to go even _further_ back in time!"

Her older counterpart shook her head. "Not necessarily. Not if we can catch him in this one before he goes back."

"Oh, thank god!" exclaimed the younger Piper, but then furrowed her brow. "Wait a minute… how do we know he hasn't already gone back and attacked?"

"Because we're still standing here," the older Piper answered herself with a smirk.

"Oh. Yeah. Right," replied the less experienced one, mildly embarrassed.

Grams stood up determinedly, saying, "Which means we need to get on this _now_."

The younger Phoebe didn't look so sure. "But can a demonically pumped up darklighter even be vanquished?"

"Of course they can," replied Grams. "Anything can be vanquished with the right know how, sweetie. Let's get to work!"

As soon as she'd gone into crisis mode, Grams had seized control of the decision making. Although they normally would have protested, for the moment all the sisters were grateful for the break. Penny had sent the two Pipers to the kitchen to gather up some snacks after Paige's stomach had grumbled so loudly they'd thought for a second that something demonic was attacking.

The 35 year old Piper rubbed the back of her neck with a hand. "With all this time traveling I have no idea how long I've been up. It feels like days." She yawned deeply. "And this knot in my back is driving me _nuts_!"

The younger Piper bit her bottom lip for a moment in hesitation. "Uh, I know this is a little weird, but I could take care of that for you – if you want," she offered her elder self, indicating the knotted muscle.

The older one sighed in exhaustion. "Believe it or not, I think I'm pretty non-plussed by the weirdness in my life at this point. Go ahead and give it a shot."

The 27 year old Piper put her hands on her future back, hesitantly at first, but gradually getting more comfortable, and began to press and knead pressure points.

Suddenly, the older Piper laughed, startling her past self. "Acupressure!" she exclaimed. "Geez, it's been _years_ since I've used that! With all magic all the time I guess the mundane solutions have kinda slipped my mind."

Her younger counterpart frowned at this and paused. Somehow the reality of just how very abnormal her future would continue to be, for the rest of her life, sunk in at that moment. Sensing her thoughts, the elder Piper turned around to face herself. "I know. Still holding out for that normal non-magical life? So am I. Well, demon-free anyway. But," she tried to reassure herself. "If it helps… you should know that I genuinely love my life and all that magic has brought into it. Without it I wouldn't have Leo. Or Paige… or my sons."

"But you'd have Prue," replied the younger quietly.

The elder woman sighed. "I would. And losing her wasn't fair… but that was her destiny. I have to believe that… no, I _know_…" she said with gentle surety. "That as hard as it was – _is_ – I'm at peace with what happened. All of it. And I'd live it all again to get where I am now, er, then." She pulled her shoulders back, a mild glint of humor in her eyes. "And by the way things seem to be working out with this whole mess it looks like I just might. Or at least visit it!"

The younger Piper laughed at this, but was still visibly bothered by the wealth of both sadness and hard-earned wisdom in her future self's eyes. She believed this Piper, of course - how couldn't she? But she couldn't help feeling that same old desire to be free of all this magical craziness. The older Piper tilted her head as she could practically see all this running through the younger one's head. "You'll come to it in your own time. _I_ should know." She smirked. "Hey, thanks. That acupressure really helped. I should get back into that when this is all settled." She scooped up the tray full of chips, dips, and veggies. "Want to check back in with everyone?" The younger Piper nodded, grabbing a couple pitchers of iced tea.

They headed upstairs to the attic where Grams was looking through the Book of Shadows for a super-darklighter stopper. The rest of the sisters were sitting or leaning on various dusty boxes scattered around the attic. The younger Phoebe sat up excitedly as the tray of snacks appeared through the attic door and she promptly fell through the top of the cardboard box, landing in the pile of old clothes inside. "Seriously, Grams, you should consider getting a couch in here," she complained over the snickering from her sisters. "_We_ did," Phoebe grunted as she as she struggled to pull herself out of the box, and finally resorted to flinging her arms up into the air with a look of intense concentration on her face.

"Uh, Pheebs, honey - whatcha' doin'?" asked the younger Piper as she set the iced tea onto the potions table.

Phoebe smiled sheepishly. "Trying to levitate?" Her time's Piper rolled her eyes before extending a hand to her younger sister.

Phoebe took it, appreciatively. "Thanks," she said as she pulled herself to her feet, dusting herself off.

The 30-something Piper glanced around the attic as she popped a carrot stick in her mouth. "It _is_ pretty crowded with all of us in here."

"Can't you at least orb a couch in here?" Prue asked Paige as she scryed for Wilkins. "This kneeling is killing my knees."

"Kinda trying to avoid the whole personal gain thing," replied Paige.

"Oh, just orb them a seat," said Penny. "And don't worry so much about those little things."

Paige shrugged and concentrated on the furniture she'd seen downstairs earlier. "Loveseat!" She swept her arms upward as if lifting the swirl of orbs that came through the floor and shook her head in mock disapproval as they formed a small couch. "A girl _tries_ to be a responsible, good witch and her Grams just pulls her to the dark side… _Chairs_!" She called and four chairs orbed in. They were quickly filled by the grateful sisters.

"Start the gas range for me, will you Piper dear?" asked Grams.

"Sure." Replied both Pipers in unison.

They glanced at one another and the older Piper sighed. "_So_ not funny anymore." She plopped down onto the loveseat, sinking into the cushions.

"Did you find something?" the older Phoebe asked.

Grams shook her head, still scanning pages. "No, but it doesn't hurt to start on a heavy-duty all purpose potion. We don't know when he might reappear."

"Where do you keep your reagents?" asked Paige, as she got up to look through what was on the shelves.

Grams waved her off. "Now, I'll walk you through how to brew one," Penny began, still flipping through the book.

"Uh, Grams, I think we can handle a basic potion," interrupted the older Piper.

Prue nodded. "You _do_ have five other pretty powerful witches sitting here doing nothing. It'd be a shame to let them go to waste."

Grams shook her head. "Judging from the last time you came to visit, you still have a lot to learn. You could do with some guidance."

"Yes," replied the older Piper slowly. "But _we've_ had seven years experience since then – battling demons every week, vanquishing the source, the Triad. Paige here was the friggin' principal at magic school!"

Grams crossed her arms, still looking skeptically at Piper. "Well, just what did you have in mind?" she asked.

Piper smirked. She'd also learned how to argue Grams into being reasonable. "That depends. Do we have any of his flesh?"

"Ew!" exclaimed the younger Phoebe.

Ignoring her Piper continued, "Or blood?"

"No," answered Grams. "He was a little singed, but that's it."

Unfazed, Piper nodded. "Ok, then we'll just brew something up that'll hurt him. Badly." The Piper from 2007 crossed over to the shelves where Paige was and began scanning the labeled jars. "I think I have an idea."

"What do you have in mind?" Grams asked skeptically.

"A twist on something we've used in the past," shot back Piper. "A variant on the 'Mr. Wrong' potion." She took a dusty jar of dried leaves from the shelf.

"Mister Wrong?" asked Prue.

"Yeah. Personal gain. Spell gone _awry_… consequences, blah, blah, blah," answered Paige.

The younger Piper smirked. "Nice to see _some_ things never change," she paused, considering the insanity that follows such magical mishaps. "I think."

"Anyway," the older Piper continued, "I'm thinking we modify that. After all, what is a darklighter but the flipside of a whitelighter? Mirrored magics."

The older Phoebe cocked her head to one side. "But didn't that _not work_ the last time?"

"That's because he wasn't real," replied Paige.

"Oh. Yeah," said the eldest Phoebe, shaking her head. "So many vanquishes - it's hard to keep them straight sometimes!"

"Well, _this_ big nasty is _very_ real, so this potion should work, right?" asked the younger Phoebe.

Paige shrugged. "Probably? Or at least sting like hell. Literally. Question is, can we kill him?" asked Paige. "Should we?"

"If this was all supposed to happen, or has happened, or will – whatever – then we can vanquish him," said Prue, but she then frowned. "I think."

The younger Piper didn't look so much convinced as worried. "But, what if we didn't vanquish him?" she asked. "I mean our past selves, or y'know – the us's that came back to make the future that we all have? Ugh! Am I making any sense?"

"Perfect sense, dear," reassured Grams, but the expressions on a few of the sisters faces showed that she certainly wasn't speaking for everyone. "But in any case, you needn't worry about it. Don't second guess yourselves. Whatever you decide to do is how it should have gone," she continued. "But I'd still like to see this little Mysterong Potion you girls have in mind. You haven't been at this long and you _hardly_ had an encyclopedic knowledge of witchcraft on the last visit."

The older Pheobe stifled a laugh behind the back of her hand. "Yeah, more like Cliffsnotes," she said under her breath.

"Hey!" her younger version protested in indignation. "We're doing the best we can here! And we can handle ourselves pretty darned well for learning as we go along!"

The older Pheobe smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I guess I just meant that we've come a long way since we visited 1975."

Grams seemed to ignore this exchange, stubbornly continuing her train of thought. "I've been at this my entire life, and frankly girls, how much could you have learned in only seven years?"

The older Piper shook her head and picked up the Book of Shadows from her time. "C'mon Grams, just look at how thick this book has gotten," she said, hefting it up and down a couple times to emphasize the weight, "You're always so proud of that when you see it the first time," she reasoned with Penny. "If that doesn't tell you something, I don't know what will."

"Still…" began Grams, but Piper pulled open her time's Book of Shadows and flipped to the page with the Mr. Wrong potion.

"Here. This is what I had in mind," said Piper.

Penny's eyes scanned the page as the sisters recited the potion ingredients from memory.

"Okay. Acacia root - to break hexes, a sprig of Horehound…" began the older Piper.

Phoebe continued, "Knotweed, Toadflax, just a pinch of Agrimony to banish dark forces…"

"A dash of ground Onyx - and the blood of Mr. Right. Or in this case, the counterpart to a Darklighter. To act as a focusing bond with our target," finished Paige.

At this display of potion know-how, Grams raised an eyebrow and joined them at the herb shelf. "Not bad," she murmured. "I've never seen Onyx used in a potion before - to repel negative energies?" Paige nodded. "Hm. Maybe you girls _have _learned a thing or two. With my ethereal guidance, no doubt." She began taking various jars and gathering them on a nearby table.

The older Piper raised an eyebrow in suppressed sarcasm. "No doubt." She placed a hand on her hip. "Then why are you pulling reagents from the shelf instead of looking for our Darklighter?" she asked tartly.

Penny paused, realizing what she was doing. "Oh, well, you know," she said quickly, shrugging. "I've been doing this alone for so long – alone. Just let me get you started!" she finished, gathering glass jars into her arms. "I don't get to use most of these very often!"

The eldest Piper held up a hand, stopping Grams. "We'll be fine. Trust me," she reassured Penny.

The sisters from 1999 were leaning over the older Piper's shoulders, peering at the book, they themselves curious as to what this recipe entailed.

"But there's one thing I don't get," said Prue, "where are we going to get the darklighter's blood? I have a feeling he's not going to just hold still while we prick him."

"He will if I freeze him," replied the younger Piper, "or if she does anyway," she said, pointing to the 35-year-old Piper, "and unfreezes just his hand or something."

"No," replied the other Piper, shaking her head slowly. "If he's as powerful as Grams said, he's probably infused with the same power that's killing Leo. He'd be able to resist through a freeze. Too risky. No, I was thinking that if Mr. Right's blood worked to vanquish Mr. Wrong, then shouldn't a whitelighter's blood be able to stand in for a darklighter's?"

"But they're not the same person," said Paige.

"No, but their magic magics are two sides of the same neutral force that all magic stems from," answered Grams. She was obviously warming up to the plan. "If it doesn't vanquish him it should at least weaken him – make him vulnerable to attack. Very clever, Piper."

The older Piper rolled her eyes, "Then why dontcha' let _me_ explain it…" she grumbled under her breath.

But Grams had shifted into action mode and either ignored, or didn't catch, the comment. "Ok, girls! Let's get this started!" she flipped on the gas range on the nearby table.

"We've got it Grams," said Paige with a smile as she took Penny by the shoulders and walked her back to the Book of Shadows. "I _know_ you're used to working alone and all, but you should keep looking in the book for our rogue darklighter. We can handle this."

Grams begrudgingly let herself be led to the pedestal. "Oh, _alright_. But be careful – those are powerful ingredients you're working with."

As Grams turned back to her 1982 Book of Shadows and the three older sisters began arranging potion ingredients and busying themselves with other preparation activities the three younger sisters exchanged glances, clearly feeling superfluous.

The younger Piper finally spoke up. "Uh... Is there anything _we_ should be doing?"

"Well…" The Phoebe in her Thirties thought for a moment. "You could look through our Book of Shadows, from 2007, for any entries on darklighters. The one we're looking for might not have been added to Grams' book yet." She handed the thicker book to Prue. "Just, uh, try not to look too closely at the rest of the entries," she added hastily. Inwardly, Phoebe patted herself on the back for removing the page on Cole's human half a couple months earlier. It just wasn't relevant to anything and the idea of future generations knowing about her relationship with a demon was, frankly, kind of embarrassing.

Suddenly, Phoebe realized what else was in this book that she and all her sisters had added recently about their lives. "Oh, and _don't_ read the last few pages!"

"Okay, okay!" replied Prue, exasperated by being ordered about by her older baby sister.

"Y'know, maybe I should just sit here and watch with you…" said the older Phoebe quickly, leaning into Prue's personal space.

Prue rolled her eyes. "We'll be careful. Besides, I'm getting the feeling we're not going to get to remember much more of this time trip than Grams will."

At this supposition the younger Piper looked a little disappointed, but didn't speak up.

Seeing her younger self's expression the older Piper sighed, not wanting to finalize anything until this mess was sorted out. "We'll see," she shrugged, "Maybe we're meant to learn from this."

Prue eyed her now older sister with a smirk. "You know how New-Agey you've started to sound, Piper?"

The older Piper smiled back at the playful jibe. "Hey – I _am_ Wiccan, aren't I sis?"

The grandfather clock downstairs could be heard chiming the hour and Grams looked up suddenly. "Quick! Downstairs!" she announced. "The girls – the little ones!"

"What? But it's only noon…" said Prue.

"A half-day," replied Penny quickly. "Some damned holiday or something today. I'd forgotten until just now. Now, quickly – downstairs! I don't want the girls to hear you in the attic. Too many questions!"

"But the potion!" protested the older Piper.

Grams shook her head swiftly. "Bring the pot downstairs. You can finish it in the kitchen." Penny scooped up both Books of Shadows and started ushering the six witches out the door. Paige shrugged, picking up the pot, and headed downstairs with Grams at her heels. As she crossed the threshold exiting the attic, Paige heard Penny mutter a short incantation under her breath before she shut the door. _So that's how she kept them out all that time,_ she thought wryly.

**Next Time: **The sisters of 1999 raise questions when they see the future Book of Shadows, they all find out about the evil behind what brought them to the past, and the little ones really are back.


	13. Potions and Preteens

**Author's Notes:** I got the day off work, so now you guys get an update. Good deal, huh? Thanks again for the kind words, it really does keep me motivated to keep plugging away on this when I know someone else cares if it's finished.

**Bunn2007**: Actually, darklighters _do_ have wings – bat wings!

**MargotTenn**: I'm glad you're enjoying it. Illustrating how they've grown was half of what I wanted to explore by writing this. I'm always struck by the little differences when watching reruns of older and newer episodes back to back.

**Piperloveleoalways**: Oh, no, no, no. I'm building up to a much bigger payoff than that! But I want it to feel genuine, from both Piper _and_ Leo, so I'm taking it slowly. I'd say we're at about the half-way point with this fic, so there's time yet.

I had a lot of fun with this chapter, even if it is a little short, so I hope you all do too!

* * *

**Chapter 12:** **Potions and Preteens**

They had evacuated the attic none too soon, as the moment Paige laid the pot to rest on the stovetop she heard young voices chattering away as they came through the front door. "Grams! We're ho-oome!" a little voice – Phoebe maybe – called out in a sing-song voice.

"In here," answered Grams from the living room. She had sat down with her needlepoint, which Prue remembered her Grams often had in hand when they came home. She smiled to herself. _So that's why she never made any real progress on that thing in fifteen years. It was a cover!_ she thought.

The three girls arrived in the living room and their school things were instantly littered about the room. Little Prue gave the women no more than a glance and a nod, before sitting down and flipping one the T.V. Little Phoebe bounced up to Grams, giving her a bear hug, and then looked up at the strange women. She smiled broadly and practically shouted, "Hi again, ladies!"

The adult sisters laughed at her gusto. "Hiii!" the eldest Phoebe replied, smiling broadly.

Little Piper, meanwhile, was standing shyly next to a couch, fiddling with the too-long sleeves of her sweater. "Hello," she said quietly, and gave them a gentle smile before sitting on the couch.

Penny grabbed the remote and turned off the television. "Not until your homework is done."

"Aw, _Grams_…" grumbled little Prue, but she grabbed her backpack and headed upstairs.

"Same for you, Piper," chided Penny when the middle sister didn't move.

Little Piper tilted her head. "But I already did it. During recess."

"Overachiever!" whispered Paige, leaning over to her time's Piper, teasing. Piper swatted back at her.

"Okay, well, you can go play upstairs with Pheobe then," said Grams, trying to get the children out of the room.

"Can I stay down here with you guys?" asked the littlest Piper. Both adult Pipers smiled mildly in remembrance. She had always liked to sit and listen to the grown-ups talk – and these strange ladies were especially interesting.

"This really isn't a good time…" began Grams.

"Sure, honey," interrupted the eldest Piper. Penny shot her a look, but Piper ignored it. "Could you just get me a glass of water – I don't know where you keep everything."

"Sure!" little Piper replied, elated at this small victory. _Whoever that lady is, she must be important if she can out rule Grams! _thought the 10-year old.

As the girl headed into the kitchen to retrieve the water, the eldest Piper waved a hand at Grams to stop the tirade before it began. "I know, I _know!_ But she's just going to eavesdrop if we kick her out now. I know me." The Piper from 1999 nodded in agreement. "This way we know what she's heard. Besides – we already know what we need to do. There's nothing to talk about. So, I'll get the potion brewing."

"I'll take the books to the basement," said the younger Phoebe, "We can look through them down there where we know the little ones won't want to go."

"_You_ were the one who was scared of the Woogeyman, Pheebs," teased Prue.

The older Phoebe rolled her eyes, smiling, but the younger opened her mouth to get into a heated, defensive argument. Before she could start this, Grams raised a single finger, stopping her in her tracks. "Hush! You're too old for that!"

Phoebe pouted before turning back to the two books, pulling them out from under a quilt. She pointedly handed the thinner book to her Piper before hefting the thicker book into her arms. "Shall we?"

The three 20-something sisters began for the stairs as little Piper returned with the glass of water, handing it to the woman in her thirties. "Thank you, honey," Piper said to her childhood self.

Grams put a hand on the girl's shoulder as she got up to follow the women downstairs. "I'm going to help your cousins here with some… research. In the basement." Penny shot a look to the oldest trio of sisters. "Unless you ladies need my help in here after all?"

"Nooo, _Penny_, we're fine. Really," said Piper with a smirk, enjoying Grams' inability to scold her with kids in the room.

Grams looked down at the 10-year-old Piper. "Don't go getting too underfoot," she said, patting the girl's shoulder.

"Yes, Grams! I won't," the little girl said earnestly. Grams nodded and headed down to the basement to join the sisters from 1999.

Paige had already started the water boiling again when Piper turned back to the counter to get the ingredients in proper order. Seeing everything potion-wise handled already, Phoebe bent down, bringing herself down eye to eye with her little big sister, Piper. She smiled broadly and tilted her head to one side as she felt the curiosity emanating from the girl. "You wanna help?" she asked.

"Pheo – uh, Fiona?" the adult Piper glared at Phoebe, warning in her eyes. "Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"Why not?" asked Pheobe, turning back to little Piper. "Besides, I hear you like to help in the kitchen, huh?" The girl nodded, smiling. Phoebe grinned back. "Okay! How about you get us five little bowls?" Little Piper sprang off cheerfully to the cabinets, half climbing on the counter to reach a high shelf.

She brought the bowls back to Phoebe, feeling more confident by being made to feel a little special that these women would want her help. "Whatcha' makin?" she asked as she handed the Fiona lady the bowls. "Those are some funny lookin' spices…" she remarked as she watched the oldest and most familiar feeling woman pour various ingredients into the bowls.

Phoebe leaned over again, her hands on her knees. "Can you keep a secret?" she asked with a conspiratorial tone to her voice. Little Piper nodded, smiling. "We're making a _potion_!"

"PHEE!" exclaimed Piper, alarmed.

But the little Piper just narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Pheobe. "Yeah, _right_. How old do you think I am?"

"Yeah, Fi-on-a," said the adult Piper pointedly, and cocking her head to one side with a satisfied smirk. "That's just silly."

"So what is it, really?" the littlest Piper asked the lady at the stove, who was obviously going to treat her more like a grown-up.

The adult Piper sighed in thought for a moment. "Well, ah… it's kind of like a science experiment."

"For a pyrotechnics show. At her nightclub!" finished Paige. "Do you know what pyrotechnics are?"

The girl thought about the word for a moment. "Fire-something?"

Paige nodded. "Like you see at rock shows, or in movies when stuff explodes. Here - watch." Paige poured the first ingredient into the bubbling water, and then added a pinch of Horehound, producing a tiny _poof_ of green smoke.

"Cool," said little Piper, wide-eyed.

The adult Piper smiled at this before turning back to the recipe and picking up a bowl full of what looked like freeze-dried brown lumps. "I'm going to need something to grind this Agrimony with. There should be a pestle somewhere around here…" she thought aloud. Piper went directly to the cabinet above the spice rack and pulled out a grinding pestle and mortar set.

"Hey! I thought you said you didn't know where we keep stuff?" said the little Piper.

"Oh, um," stumbled adult Piper, "but that's where everyone keeps their pestles. Like how silverware goes in a drawer."

The 10-year-old didn't look too convinced, but they were blessedly interrupted by the sound of little feet galloping down the stairs and into the kitchen, followed quickly by a steadier pair of feet. "Phoe-_bee!_ Get _back_ here!" yelled the 12-year-old Prue.

"Nuh-uh!" little Phoebe yelled back, "You're mad! I'm gonna fix it!" She ran into the kitchen, coming to a skidding halt and hiding behind her adult self.

Prue was right on her heels but quickly stopped at the doorway. "Sorry…" She knew better than to fight in front of guests. "Leave them alone!" she hissed at her baby sister.

"It's ok," said Paige smiling. _Definitely better than home movies…_ she thought to herself, amused by the sibling rivalry.

Little Phoebe pouted, tugging on the pants of adult Phoebe. "I just wanna make it better!" Seeing that her sister wasn't going to do anything around the grown-ups Phoebe came out from behind the lady and looked up, seeking an adult referee. "I'm gonna get Prue another glass a juice!"

Prue squinted at little Phoebe in a way that made the adult version flinch as she half expected the 5-year-old to go flying across the room. "That's not the point you little monster! It was from last night, anyway! You got it all over my homework 'cause you wouldn't stop playing with that _stupid_ yo-yo like I _told_ you to!" growled Prue.

"I didn't mean to!"

"You never _listen_!"

"I don't _hafta'_, you're not the boss!"

"I'm your big sister so I am when Grams isn't here!" The girls began to squabble on top of each other's protestrations.

"Okay, ENOUGH!" shouted the adult Piper over the din, "Look. It was obviously an accident," she reasoned more calmly when the girls quieted, "and accidents will happen." She turned to little Phoebe. "But Prue is partly right. You should listen to your big sister more often," she said gently to the 7-year-old.

The adult Phoebe placed her hand on the girl's head and smiled at her. "You should apologize." The little girl cast her eyes down to the floor, scuffing the tile with her shoe a couple times. "I's sorry…"

Piper turned her attention back to pre-teen Prue, raising both her eyebrows in a no-nonsense fashion. "And you need to be a little more understanding of your baby sister, 'mmkay?"

Prue crossed her arms defiantly. "Why should I listen to you? I don't even know you."

"Because I'm an adult. _That's_ why," shot back Piper in her best mom voice.

"Whatever," grumbled Prue quietly.

"You know that she's right. I can tell,' interjected the adult Phoebe mysteriously. "And I know deep down you love your lil' sis. It wouldn't hurt to show it sometimes, y'know.

At this, Prue just stared at her feet. "I _guess_." Remembering Prue at that age, both Piper and Phoebe knew that was the best they were going to get out of her and let the subject drop.

Piper picked up the mortar and pestle before turning back to the children. "Now, why don't you all go back upstairs like your Grams said," she turned to the 10-year-old version of herself with a smile, "and maybe you could help keep an eye on your baby sister so Prue can finish her homework?" suggested Piper.

"_Okay_…" the girl agreed begrudgingly.

The children shuffled out of the room, leaving the adults alone. Paige watched the retreating figures of the girls, shaking her head gently. "No wonder Grams is such a taskmaster," she remarked.

"Phhbt! And I'm sure _you_ weren't a handful to raise?" Piper shot back playfully at Paige.

"Yeah – but at least there was only one of me!" Paige retorted with a smirk.

"Can you imagine if there had been _four_ of us growing up?" mused Phoebe. "Talk about noisy… Grams would have blown a fuse."

"Oh, I dunno," shrugged Piper as she closed the lids on a couple jars, "somehow, I think Grams could've handled anything. I mean, she did keep us and our magical secret for all those years."

"Speaking of which!" Paige grabbed a handful of dried Toadflax and set about grinding it into a fine dust, "We've got witchy work to do."

* * *

Meanwhile, downstairs, Penny and the sisters from 1999 were slowly making their way through the yellowed pages of each Book of Shadows. Grams had taken the Book from 2007, reasoning her memory was going to be wiped anyhow, so anything she read wouldn't have any consequences. Prue was pretty sure that that was just Grams' excuse for getting a peek at the future.

"Woogyman or not? This place is just plain creepy," said Phoebe, punctuating it with mock shivers. "Look at some of these spells that they – _we've_ – added over the years," marveled Phoebe as she peered over Penny's shoulder at the future Book of Shadows. "Vanquishing spells for all kinds of powerful evils – the Source, the Triad… not to mention these guides. 'To Summon a Leprachaun', '5 Signs of a Soul Swap' – 'Conjuring and Returning a God'?!"

"_Pheebs_, you shouldn't be looking at that! _You_ said so yourself," scolded Piper.

"No. Future me did. Besides, what harm can a little peek do?" answered Phoebe with a mischievous smirk.

"Well, judging by that book, I'd guess the other you _probably_ knows better than _you_ you," replied Prue.

Piper had joined Phoebe to look at the book. "Future worth preserving or not, I still don't like the idea of spending the next seven years fighting demons. Or going through _this_ kind of stuff," Piper pointed to the spell Grams had just turned to. "I mean, what's happened that we needed to know how to slow our souls from moving on in case we've _died_?! Not to mention losing Prue, _somehow_, for who knows how long?" Piper's steam was reaching a head now and she began to pace around the basement. "I guess I should just give up on the normal life thing _now_ – it's obviously not gonna happen if my _son_ from twenty-whatever-years in the future is traveling in time, too!" Piper ended in a huff, arms dropping to her sides.

"Rant done now?" asked Pheobe with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah…" grumbled Piper. "A girl just needs to blow off a little neurotic steam sometimes.'

"Hey, at least you have a husband. And two beautiful little boys," Prue pointed out.

"You don't know that you don't," reasoned Piper. "Who knows what you've been up to being all un-witchy."

Prue sighed. "Yeah… about that. I don't know… I mean, I know our future selves wouldn't lie to us about something that important, but they haven't actually said anything about how or why I leave," She sighed. "I just have a bad feeling about it."

"Well, of course you do - it's not like it's all good," said Phoebe, "but you know our nephews in the future, so that's something! Who know's? Maybe the future us's will be reunited with future you soon…" she said, trying to cheer up her big sister.

"I think I've found something," interrupted Grams.

Pheobe raised her eyebrows. "Wow! Already?" she asked.

"It's amazing how much you can get done when you don't sit around gabbing with your sisters with things you can't _and shouldn't_ change." Sarcasm positively dripped off of Penny's answer, reminding Prue of what little she'd seen of her nephew, Chris.

Prue raised an eyebrow, biting back her own remark. "Point taken. So, what's the deal?" she asked.

Grams nodded. "Well, it's not specific to our darklighter, but it looks like I must have written this," she said, pointing out the handwriting. "Presumably after all this is done."

"So… wait," said Prue, two fingers rubbing her right temple. "You're saying you got the answer from future _you_, who got the answer from… you? I'm confused."

Grams smiled, knowingly. "Best not to try and reason it out and just go with it." She turned back to the entry in the book. "This says that a demon can lend his magical strength to a warlock or darklighter – I should note the word darklighter is underlined three times - through an item infused with his magical essence. This item can be a totem – "

" – Or a pendant," finished Prue. "Sounds like our guy's M.O."

Grams continued. "Anyhow, yes. This doesn't list any specific demons, but this Kaalaya certainly seems to know how to go about it."

Piper shrugged. "This still doesn't help us figure out how to vanquish him."

Grams shook her head. "On the contrary – I'll explain, but let's get the other girls down here and fill them in as well."

* * *

Within a few moments the older women were standing around their Book of Shadows, reading the entry.

Paige shook her head. "If we could just get a hold of this totem and destroy it…" she mused.

"… then he should lose that power boost," finished the older Piper.

"Exactly what I was thinking," said Grams, turning to Piper. "And we should be able to scry for him, the darklighter, using the pendant intended for Leo. It may not be his, but it _is_ infused with the same magic as his own. Have you girls finished the potion?"

"Just need a little essence of Leo," answered Paige.

"Leo!" called the older Piper, who was met with the familiar swirl of blue and white orbs

"Made any progress?" he asked immediately, "The Elders don't know anything."

"What a _shock_," answered the older Piper sarcastically.

"We have a plan, actually," answered Penny Leo, all business. "And we need some blood from you."

"Blood? Uh, can't you use Paige's? Isn't she half whitelighter?" asked Leo, drawing back squeamishly.

"Exactly. _Half_," replied Paige. "Besides, you're self-healing for crying out loud – don't be such a baby!" A mock predatory grin appeared on her face as she pulled out a kitchen knife and stalked her prey, who winced as he extended a hand over the cauldron.

As a golden glow closed up the palm of Leo's hand, the eldest Piper inhaled deeply, steeling herself. "Now let's go get this bastard."

* * *

**Next Time: **A certain darklighter gets a nasty surprise, but so do the sisters, with unintended consequences. 


	14. It Had to Be You

**Author's Notes: **Sorry the update is so short. I kinda lost the original copy of this section and somehow writer's block struck when I had to rewrite it. _And..._ it's mostly just about moving the plot forward. But the next bit should be nice and long and coming in the next few days.

For **best thing in life is stories: **I'm not really sure what your question is… but I can reassure you that Prue has not died or vanished, so worry not!

**Chapter 13: It Had to Be You**

After Leo's blood had been added and the potion poured into a vial for each sister they had set about hunting the darklighter in the now all too familiar manner. While the rest of the sisters cleaned up, Paige scryed for the darklighter. Grams, meanwhile, had taken the little girls to her friend, and fellow witch's house to keep them out of harms way. At the mention of Aunt Gail the older Phoebe had blanched, nearly spilling the beans, but thankfully bit her tongue at the last moment after an elbow to the ribs from Piper. Grams may believe in following the rules of magic and destiny but the sisters also knew that if Penny found out Gail had tried to hurt her granddaughters there'd be hell to pay. And Aunt Gail would be doing the paying.

The thump of a scrying crystal was punctuated by a cry of "Ah-ha!" from Paige, interrupting an idle reminiscing between the sisters.

The eldest Piper looked up from the bowl she was rinsing. "Found something, I take it?"

Paige nodded. "Corner of Fourteenth and Bayfair in south Oakland," she paused, a confused expression crossing her face. "Wait – isn't that a mall?"

"In 2007 maybe, but according to _this_ map isn't a neighborhood. A pretty run down one if I recall correctly," answered the older Phoebe.

Prue nodded swiftly, "Oh, yeah, that Bayfair renovation project – I think I heard something on the news about a groundbreaking ceremony a few months ago. Y'know – months ago from my perspective."

"There's a _great_ boutique in there…" said the older Phoebe absently.

"Uh, yeah, right – anyway!" said Prue impatiently, before getting to her feet. "We should go get him now before he moves or blocks our tracking him."

"Shouldn't we wait for Grams to get back?" said the younger Phoebe, uncertainly.

"No," replied the older Piper. "Prue's right. We have the potions, the spell. We're ready – and we need to stop him before he makes his next move."

"Whatever _that_ is," said Paige flippantly as she gathered up the copies of the potions, distributing one of each to each sister.

The older Piper smirked mildly. "Look, the important thing is that we know what _we're_ doing missy."

Paige waved her hand about. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I dunno, something about this just seems too convenient. Or mysterious… or something."

"_A re you_ psychic, now?" asked Piper sardonically.

Paige rolled her eyes. "_Noo_, I'm just saying that with something this big there's no way this is the end of it."

"Probably not," agreed Prue with a shrug, "But that's not really the point right now, is it?"

"No, the point is to kick his butt now, and save _my husband_," replied Piper rather intensely.

This declaration was met with the twinkling of orbs. "You called?" asked Leo alarmed.

"Uh… not exactly," answered Piper.

"But I felt you – felt your call for me," said Leo in confusion. "I guess I'm developing a bond with you ladies quicker than usual. Must have something to do with your emotional connection with me in the future."

Paige smirked and both Phoebes held back their chuckles regarding the obvious. Piper meanwhile looked a touch embarrassed. The younger Piper stepped in for her older self. "Well, as long as you're here…" she said quickly, wanting to change the subject, "we've found the demon and were just leaving for the vanquish. We could use your help - if you're up to it."

Leo paused in consideration for a moment. "Well, I don't usually come along for battle – I'm supposed to just help when something goes wrong – but considering he's from my past and out to get me I suppose my place is there."

"Right. Let's go then!" said Prue, pocketing her potion.

Paige nodded and outstretched her hands for her sisters who soon all held hands. Paige looked at Leo, who now held the hands of the sisters from 1999. "Follow me!" she said brightly before disappearing with her time's sisters.

* * *

Both parties reformed in a small dank room in what appeared to be an abandoned house. "Like I said – always with the dark hovels," whispered the younger Phoebe. All five other sisters quickly turned around to her, each holding a single finger to their lips, indicating she should be quiet. Pheobe held her hands up in silent apology.

At the sound of muffled voices Leo waved the sisters nearer to the small room's doorway. The first sounded normal, if agitated, but the second was strange. Almost distant – like being heard through a tunnel - but not. It reminded Leo of the voice of the Shadow in the old radio programs he listened to growing up. The sisters crept closer to the door, huddled closely in the cramped quarters and listened.

"I planted the pendant successfully - I still don't understand why you can't just look and see if it worked! Then I wouldn't have to risk my ass while you sit safely out of the way," snarled the first voice.

"Ignorant, dim-witted darklighters," replied the second distorted voice with tempered anger. "How many times must I explain this? Only one portal may be opened in one time. To do otherwise would destabilize my whole dimension. You know the essence of the Bhavitra requires you go back and attack him there is we are to succeed. Now, take this," Leo was able to peek around the corner just in time to see a pile of brown clothing pop out of what looked to be a massive cauldron. "I just pulled them from the time you're going to, from your mortal self. You'll need to blend in if you are to get close enough to finish our plan."

The darklighter nodded. "Fine, but don't speak to me like that again. I may merely be a darklighter but you need me as much as I do you if we are to gain the powers of the Triad."

Leo leaned back into the huddle of sisters. "They're about to… do _something_," he whispered.

"Then I guess we'd better do something," replied the older Piper matter-of-factly. "Prue? What do you think we should do?" she asked. Her time's Phoebe felt a waning sense of confidence coming from her big sister. As if Piper was less sure of herself than she had been a mere hour before. It was a strange thing to feel from her ass-kicking sis. It reminded her of the days when they'd first become witches.

Prue looked strangely at the more experienced Piper. "Well, uh, I guess I can distract him while you three look for that totem…"

Piper nodded. "Let's go!" she said before standing aside for Prue to make the first move.

Prue looked at her "older" sister quizzically. "Can't you just freeze him or blow him up?"

The 21st century Piper shook her head, whispering, "Not if he's as powerful as Grams said. He'll just resist through them."

"But I have the same power as Grams and she couldn't take him – how can I?" replied Prue.

"Prue-" began Piper again, but was cut off by Paige.

"What's going on with you, Piper? We don't have time for this!" she breezed past the two siblings and into the deprecated kitchen where the darklighter Wilkins had almost fully donned the tan military dress uniform Kaaalaya had provided him. Paige raised her hand, calling "Chair!" and sent an old wooden chair flying at Wilkins, pinning him to the wall, but he rapidly freed himself with an energy blast.

This sudden burst of action cut short any leadership disputes between the sisters for the moment. "Whoa!" exclaimed the younger Phoebe. "Since when could a darklighter do that?!"

"Must be his demonic power boost!" answered the older Phoebe as she channeled another energy blast back at him. To her surprise he barely seemed stunned by it. "He's even resistant to his own enhanced powers!"

"You need to find that totem!" cried Prue to the sisters from 2007 as the darklighter pushed through her telekinesis and began advancing toward the sisters.

Piper began to blast him and this seemed to have the most dramatic effect - which was merely interrupting the darklighter from using his newly acquired powers. "No, you need to. I'll keep him busy!"

The three younger sisters nodded and began searching hurriedly through the mess of objects littering the room. Suddenly the younger Phoebe noticed the shower of sparks coming off the darklighter's belt. "The totem!" she cried.

Simultaneously, the image of Kaalaya in the pool of black liquid in the cauldron extended his hand. "Go! NOW!" as a swirls of black particles coalesced to form a sucking pruple portal.

"Got it!" replied Paige to Phoebe. "Totem!" she shouted. The metallic object orbed into her hands just as Wilkins dove into the portal. "Dammit!" The portal rapidly retracted into itself before disappearing.

Kaalaya's visage faded, but not before shooting a self-satisfied smile at the sisters. "Your fate is sealed…" his voice echoed as his face faded.

"Great! Now what?" huffed the younger Piper.

"We follow him," replied her older self.

"All of us? To the 40's? Somehow that seems like a bad idea…" said the younger Phoebe.

"No. Surgical strike," now replied the older Phoebe, recalling the way Chris had once described his mission to the past.

"Meaning…?" asked Prue.

"Paige and Leo follow him back to…. _whenever_," replied the elder Piper. At the incredulous look of her sisters, including Paige, Piper explained. "Look – the farther back in time he meddles with the more any subtle change could screw _everything_ up! And Leo and Paige can both heal so they have the best chance of success."

Leo's face wore a mask of concern. "But… you see, I'm more of an advisor. I've never really participated in these battles between good and evil…"

"Yeah? Get used to it," replied Piper haughtily. Her younger self raised an eyebrow, smirking at the comment. The older Piper's tone softened then, into a more reasonable tone. "You're the only one that knows that time and place – where he might strike. You have to go. And Paige has the firepower _and_ healing power should you need it. He is a darklighter, after all."

"But – isn't it safer in numbers?" asked the younger Phoebe, curious about Leo's mortal life.

"No, she's right," answered Prue. "The fewer back there the better. I think they can handle themselves," finished Prue with a smile at Paige.

"Ok, so how do we, or you guys anyway, get to him?" asked the younger Piper.

"A spell of course…" answered the elder Phoebe purposefully mysteriously. Prue eyed her with an expression with could mean nothing but 'No shit' but she ignored it, rolling her eyes with a smile.

"I suppose we'll need appropriate clothing…" mulled Paige to herself. Leo nodded, changing his appearance to that of a dapper looking, tall, but muscular, black-haired man.

"Tall, dark, and handsome, huh?" asked Paige, amused.

Leo looked confused for a moment before realizing what she was saying. "Oh, no – this was an old buddy of mine before he was shipped off…"

"Hmm," nodded the younger Phoebe appreciatively, causing the older one to cringe in embarrassment. Paige simply glamoured into an appropriate up-hairdo for the 1940's, as she'd seen in old movies, and a military nurse's uniform before taking Leo's hand. She thought for a moment before finally recited a verse.

"_Take Leo and Me,_

_To a place where we,_

_Can stop Wilkins wish to be,_

_The bane of the Power of Three"_

The duo promptly dissolved into a swirls of white lights. "Huh!" huffed the Piper of 2007. "Who'd have thought that would work?" Her tone was flippant but the expression of worry she wore was shared by the other four remaining sisters.

* * *

**Next installemnt! **Paige and Leo visit his mortal past and meet a few familiar faces along the way! 


	15. Operation Whitelighter

**Author's Notes:** Sorry for how long this update took - real life kinda sidetracked me for a bit and now I'm house-sitting at a place with no internet access (it's the dark ages over there, I tells ya!) so updates have been hard to come by. But it's a nice long one, anyway. I hope you enjoy it!

Yes, a movie called "I Married A Witch" really did come out in 1942. It was in October '42, so a little late for Leo to still be in the States, but I couldn't help but include it when I saw it on IMDB. :D

In order to keep things straight I'm just calling the Leo of 1942 "Private Leo" and 1982 Leo just plain old Leo.

* * *

**Chapter 14: Operation Whitelighter  
**

Paige stepped out of the portal to find herself in the same room she'd left just moments before. The wallpaper was no longer faded and peeling from the walls, but was a fresh, cheery shade of green, and in place of grimy, musty furniture stood a clean dining room set. As Leo emerged out of the portal behind her, Paige heard voices coming from the next room. "Uh-oh! Follow me!" she hissed quietly as she orbed out, leaving Leo momentarily confused before he realized they were in somebody's home.

"Wait up!" he whispered as he too orbed away. Seconds later a young auburn-haired girl stepped into the kitchen seconds later.

"Did you hear something?" she asked after the young man in the next room. "Are you sure no one's home?"

The 18-year old young man shook his head as he joined her side. "No one's here, Penny – I promise. You're always so suspicious! Now," he slung his arm around her shoulder, "why don't you come back to the couch and let me play this new Sinatra record. It's the tops!"

Penny eyed the kitchen suspiciously for a moment more before she shrugged and let the boy lead her back to into the living room. She smirked at him. "Anyone ever tell you that you have eyes bluer even than his?"

* * *

Paige tapped her foot impatiently as Leo finally appeared next to her in a nearby alleyway. "Took you long enough," she said lightly. 

"Sorry. It's just that you're not technically my charge yet, so it takes me a moment to sense you. Uh, where are we?" he asked looking around.

"Just a random alleyway. I didn't know where else to go where I wouldn't be seen orbing in." The pair walked out onto a main street which was bustling with people Paige would have expected to see in an old Katherine Hepburn movie. Across the street a theater marquee boasted a showing of the "New Film Sensation", 'Casablanca' followed by the B-Reel "I Married a Witch." A guffaw escaped Paige's lips before she quickly put a hand over her mouth. Leo looked at her strangely but knew by this point in time there was no point in asking what was so funny, because he probably wouldn't get an answer anyway. "So! Where would mortal Leo be right about now?" asked Paige.

"I don't know, uh…" replied Leo, somewhat lost in the deja-vu of his surroundings, "Let me see…" He walked over to a small boy hawking newspapers. "I'll take one."

The boy handed Leo a newspaper before stretching out his open palm. "Hey, buddy! Where's my nickel?" Leo reached into his pockets before realizing he had no money from this decade, pulling the pockets inside out to reveal nothing but lining. "No nickel, no news, buddy!"

"Paige?" She looked at Leo incredulously, as she obviously didn't have any money either. "Oh, right. Sorry," he quickly glanced at the date on the paper before handing it back to the feisty little boy and then continued down the sidewalk.

"So?" asked Paige.

"It said February 20th, 1942. I must be about to ship off for the South Pacific. Which means I'd be at the Balboa Park Naval Hospital. We have to get to San Diego." They turned off into another alleyway and Leo quickly extended his arm. "Take my hand," he said to Paige, taking hers before she had a chance to react. The alley disappeared in as blue and white lights filled her vision. Her stomach lurched in a familiar fashion that accompanied any unexpected orb, but the swirl of lights soon dissipated to reveal a shelf full of medical supplies.

Paige picked up a small brown glass vial, reading the label. "Ether?" she asked, surprised. "I thought medicine was a little more… or a little less…" she searched for a polite term, failing miserably, "… primitive than that by then, or now, er whatever. So – where are we?" she asked, changing the subject."

"Medical supply closet of the base's hospital. It should be, if I recall correctly, the last day of my medic training." He opened the closet door and Leo and Paige made their way down the crowded hallway, winding their way through a maze of passageways. "This should be it, I think," said Leo finally and nodded. "Yeah." He stopped at a large blackboard which seemed to be the day's schedule. Leo scanned the board a moment before finding his name. "I'm assigned to Dr. Stuchen today. Which means I should be –"

"Heya, Walsh!" interrupted a familiar voice.

"…. around here somewhere," finished Leo after a moment of surprise.

"Uh, Walsh, _hello_?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah, that's me!" replied Leo stilting as he turned to face his younger, mortal, self. Private Leo Wyatt looked strangely at the man he thought was an old friend, not sure what to make of his odd response.

Paige quickly extended her hand in an effort to distract this Leo's train of thought. "Hi! I'm Paige! Paige Mathews!"

He took her hand genially. "Very nice to meet you, Ms. Mathews."

"_Very_ nice to meet _you_ Private Wyatt," replied Paige with a grin.

He scrunched his eyebrows. "How did you know my name?"

Thinking quickly, Paige pointed at the name embroidered on his front pocket. "Right there. Well! We've got to get going! See ya'!" She then tugged on her Leo's arm, nearly dragging him off in a random direction. They were working against time and couldn't afford to delay – let alone possibly change Leo's past.

Whitelighter Leo looked at Paige for a moment before catching her train of thought. Meeting the older versions of the sisters was strange, but this was downright surreal. As a whitelighter he'd never really been a part of these sort of magical situations, but merely watched and guided from the sidelines. But participating was entirely different. It was exhilarating, actually, but also mind-bending. Leo shook his head and turned back to his past self. "Oh, yeah! She's right. We've really gotta go handle… something."

Pvt. Leo looked both disappointed and a touch baffled. "Uh, ok, well, you wanna stop by my place sometime soon? Catch up on what's been going on, what you're doing back stateside over a beer or something?"

"Yeah, sure, uh, maybe!" the future Leo called over his should as he followed on the heels of a fast retreating Paige. "See you around!" Pvt. Leo merely returned a bemused wave as a goodbye as they disappeared around a corner.

After they had gone down a couple passageways Leo had snapped back to the business at hand and came to a halt, stopping Paige as well with a squeeze of her shoulder. "What?" she asked as she saw Leo peering down a hallway. "The darklighter?" asked Paige, alarmed.

"No, no. Follow me!" said Leo quickly, and he took off down the hall to their left.

Paige spun to follow him, her heels slipping on the slick floor as she scrambled to catch up. "Haven't they ever heard of traction in this time," she mumbled to herself, cursing her shoes.

Leo's attitude had now taken on a single-mindedness as his head flicked from side to side reading each door's placard as he walked past. Suddenly, he skidded to a halt, turning on his heel and slipped into a door labeled "Men's Dressing Room". Paige flung her hands out as she nearly crashed into Leo's back. "Little warning would be nice! Yeesh!"

"Sorry," replied Leo absent mindedly.

Paige, noticing the room's label, hesitated a moment before shrugging and following Leo inside. Leo paused a moment before making a beeline to a tall metal locker. Above it hung a small cardboard sign that read "Pvt. Wyatt". After a moments thought he spun the combination lock to 12 and gave the door a solid thump with the side of his fist. The door popped open with a quiet squeak and Leo set upon it's contents.

Feeling rather superfluous, Paige sat on a bench, resting her head in the palm of her left hand and watched Leo dig through a pile of random personal effects. "Weren't exactly a neat freak, were ya?" At his lack of response, Paige pressed further, determined to get a response. "So what makes you think the pendant is here? Did you keep spare jewelry for the ladies stashed here or something?" she asked with a smirk.

Leo stopped digging and seemed to be considering something. Finally, he turned around to face Paige. "Where did you say you found that pendant? In the future, I mean."

"Some dusty little hope chest," answered Paige. "Why?"

"Did it have a few books, a dress uniform, photos of my family, that kinda thing?"

"Yeah. _Why_?" pressed Paige on Leo's line of thought.

"I think I just realized where he's going to put it!" exclaimed Leo and shot to his feet, making a beeline for the door. Paige scrambled to shove Private Leo's things back into the locker as they had found them as the door swung shut behind the whitelighter.

Moments later, Paige jogged to catch up to Leo in the hallway. "Wait up! Don't know my way around this decade, remember?"

"No time," replied Leo. "I could be hit any minute!" He quickened his stride when Paige had caught up. "If I remember correctly, I should be packing up for deployment tomorrow and that's the most likely time for me to handle _every_ object around me." Leo had led them back to the supply closet they'd first orbed in from and slipped back inside.

"But if we found it in that chest doesn't that mean you won't find it?" asked Paige as she joined him in the closet.

Leo took Paige's hand again. "Not if we don't get to it first," he answered as they disappeared into the ether.

* * *

Paige and Leo reappeared behind a dumpster in another area on the army base. They were standing outside what looked to be a brick and mortar dormitory. Leo took off again, this time up the steps and into the building, Paige fast on his heels. "I'll distract him, the other me that is. You get the chest. Orb it somewhere," instructed Leo. Paige nodded. 

They climbed another flight of stairs inside the building before heading down an empty hallway. They were two-thirds down the passageway before Leo finally stopped at a door. But he had now abruptly stopped and just stood there, looking at Paige expectantly.

Paige raised her eyebrows and tilted her head. "Uh, Leo?"

He shook his head, clearing it. "Sorry. It just occurred to me that I have exactly _no_ clue what to do."

Paige shrugged. She was so used to winging it in these kinds of situations that having no plan didn't seem daunting to her at all. "You'll think if something. You just need to get him out of the house so I can orb in and snoop a bit."

Leo nodded, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. A few moments later, Private Leo Wyatt opened the door. He'd changed out of his medic's uniform and now wore just a white tank top and jeans. "Hey!" he said with a smile when he saw the man he thought was his friend, Pvt. Walsh. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon!"

Paige sidled up next to the disguised Leo. "I couldn't let my handsome hunk here ditch, uh, not visit his buddy just cause I'm around," she said, snaking her arm around the whitelighter's waist. Normally this would be much more awkward an act for Paige, but since Leo didn't look like himself she was finding it much easier to put the fact that she was flirting with her brother-in-law to the back of her mind. For his part, Leo felt his face blush a little as he very stiffly leaned into Paige's embrace.

Only with her comment did Pvt. Leo seem to notice Paige was there. "Oh! Oh, sorry!" he exclaimed and quickly retreated into his room, retrieving a linen shirt. He hastily pulled it on, though he didn't button it up. "I didn't see you there – I don't usually stand there undressed in front of a lady," he explained in embarrassment.

Paige looked confused for a moment, then smirked as she realized what he meant. "Oooh, the wifebea- er, undershirt. Hey, don't worry about it. I'm a modern dame. _And_ a nurse." She motioned to her outfit a little too self-importantly. "So, y'know, I see naked guys all the time. No sweat."

Pvt. Leo nodded. "Oh, yeah. I guess so." He waved his hand through the doorway. "Come on in!" The pair walked into what looked like little more than a small studio apartment that had been hit by a tornado. "Sorry for the mess. Lillian – that's my wife, Lillian – would pitch a fit if she saw this place!" he laughed as he cleared off a spot on the couch.

They sat down and were nearly swallowed whole by the beaten up old army issued furniture. Paige pushed her knees together as the knee-length skirt suddenly threatened to reveal her modesty due to the awkward position she was now in. She'd have just stood up if her feet weren't aching from the clunky pumps she was wearing. _Guess ergonomics haven't been invented yet_, she thought to herself.

Pvt. Leo flipped open a small silver case. "Cigarette?" he offered, pulling one out and popping it between his lips.

Paige waved off the offer. "No thanks. Not … my brand," she said awkwardly.

"But you don't even know what brand –" he began, but Paige interrupted him hastily.

"My brand is, uh, Turkish? Once you taste _that_ flavor you never go back to the domestic stuff." She smiled awkwardly.

"Oh, I'll have to try that some time. What are they called?" asked the Private, intrigued.

"Oh, um… Casbah? Yeah. Casbahs."

Pvt. Leo nodded and turned to Leo offering up a cigarette. "You, Walsh?"

Leo shook his head. "No, thanks."

Pvt. Leo looked at him strangely. "You sick or somethin'? I don't think I've ever seen you turn down a free smoke."

Leo froze for just a second, then nodded his head. "Yeah, uh, sick. A little throat thing." He coughed into his fist. Seemingly satisfied, Pvt. Leo struck a match, lighting his own cigarette.

The mortal Leo then turned to the man he thought was Pvt. Walsh. "I thought you shipped out six weeks ago Mark."

"Oh, uh, yeah, I did. I'm just back because of, a, uh, family emergency," he explained lamely. Paige stifled a smirk behind her hand.

Luckily, Pvt, Leo seemed oblivious to this odd behavior. "Oh, that's too bad. Must have been pretty serious for them to bring you back here, huh?"

The disguised Leo tried to feign sadness, "Oh, yeah, my uncle was very sick and he's uh, 'up there' now," he answered, gesturing up to the sky.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, but it was just his time, y'know, grand design and all," answered Leo, sounding much more the whitelighter than a gristled soldier."

"Huh, sounds like the war has changed you already, 'Masher Mark'." The future Leo laughed as he hadn't heard that particular nickname in decades. "Hopefully you can give me an idea of what I'm in for. Maybe later we can get a couple beers over at the USO club that just opened up?"

"Maybe," answered whitelighter Leo, unsure of where their search would take them.

Seeing a clear opportunity that Leo seemed to be missing, Paige slipped her hand into the crook of her whitelighter's arm.

"We'd better get going, _honey_," said Paige, smirking at Leo's subtle discomfort. "We have someplace to be tonight, and not much _time_ to get there, so…"

Leo looked at her blankly a moment before getting the hint that she had something in mind. "Huh? Oh, yeah," he turned to his past self. "Hey, wanna go get that beer right now?"

"Well, as you can see, I'm sort of in the middle of packing…" replied the Private.

"Aw, c'mon buster!" insisted Paige, doing her best to sound the part of a saucy 40's chick, "Why doncha' have a drink with the ol' GI Joe here! It'd sure be swell if you came along. You can knock back a few frostys, check out the dames, maybe cut a rug… you know, it'll be a real… barn burner!"

"Ok, ok!" laughed Pvt. Leo, stopping Paige with raised hand. "I'm obviously going to miss out on one hell of a time if I don't go, so sure. Just let me get dressed. Could you turn around Ms. Matthews?"

"Done and _done_!" she replied as she hurriedly got up and turned to face the wall. It might be fun teasing the Leo from 1983 with mock flirting, but she had no more desire to see full frontal Leo than she would a brother. The disguised Leo meanwhile seemed to have suddenly become fascinated by the carpet at his feet.

Pvt. Leo quickly slipped out of his civilian clothes and into a tan dress uniform. "Okay, let's go!" Paige and the 80's Leo nodded and joined him at the door. The trio closed the door behind themselves just a moment too soon to see the swirl of black and purple matter coalesce in the room to form Wilkins, the darklighter.

Wilkins recalled the conversation he and Kaalaya had had regarding the placement of the pendant. Or, rather, the longwinded speech he'd had to sit through just to be told 'their' plan. The demon needed him specifically because the plan depended on his knowledge. Kaalaya might be an aggravating windbag, but Wilkins had to admit, the plan was a good one. In order to not destroy the timeline, aside from Leo's fate, and keep the original Triad vanquished, his murder had to be well-timed and seemingly the fault of the enemy. Wilkins, using his knowledge of Leo's future circumstances in the pacific, had to find a place to plant the cursed pendant where Leo wouldn't find it until he was in a war zone. That way when he disappears nobody will think to investigate. He'll be presumed missing in action and there will be no risk of exposure.

Wilkins glanced around the dorm room and sneered. "Now to find the perfect place…" The darklighter began to dig through the personal effects of Pvt. Leo Wyatt.

* * *

The USO club was only a block away, making the walk a short one. The nightclub was a hot spot even in the afternoon and the trio could hear the strains of a jazz tune as they approached. 

When they were inside, Paige grinned as she looked around the room. "Unreal…" she said quietly to herself. Things stay surprisingly the same on a military base, so the time change hadn't really sunk in yet for her. But nightclubs were one thing she'd seen plenty of in her day, and this was like nothing Paige had ever seen. Well, outside of an old war movie, anyway. Her trip inside a detective novel at magic school was more like visiting a living cliché. This felt real. _Gee, wonder why that is, brainiac,_ she thought sarcastically at herself.

The large dance hall was decorated with red, white, and blue banners strung across the ceiling and posters, bearing various wartime slogans, hung on the walls. Surprisingly, half the crowd wasn't military, but seemed to be civilian women dressed to the nines, doing their best to show the troops a good time. A large stage was filled with chairs and music stands enough for a good-sized jazz band, but at the moment it was just a septet accompanied by a singer. Paige's eyes widened. "Is that… Ella Fitzgerald?!"

Pvt. Leo nodded. "Yeah, she's great, isn't she? Being stationed in California has it's perks. The stars like to come down here and dance with the fella's. They say it's their part in the war effort."

Paige nodded, only half listening to him. "Cool."

"Huh?" asked the Leo from this time, which brought Paige's attention fully back to him.

"It's, uh, too cool back here near the door, let's find a table, shall we?" she said quickly. "That would be just _swell_!"

They found a small table near the stage and Paige was surprised when Pvt. Leo pulled her chair out for her. She smirked at him before sitting down and leaned over to the whitelighter Leo. "What happened to that little nicety?" she asked him.

"The sixties happened," he replied jokingly in a hushed whisper to her. A waitress appeared to take their orders, interrupting an possible rejoinder from Paige.

"What'll it be?" she asked with a smile.

"I'll have a Derby Cream Ale," said the disguised Leo.

"Me too. Hey, weren't you always a Budweiser man?" asked Pvt. Leo.

"War changes a guy," replied Leo clumsily. "I mean, uh, you gotta treat yourself while you still can, right? No use wasting time on the cheap stuff."

"I guess so," agreed Pvt. Leo with a nod.

"And for you Miss?" asked the waitress, leaning over to Paige.

"Just a mineral water, thanks," replied Paige.

The waitress' pencil hung over her pad of paper. "Mineral? I've never heard of –"

"Oh, right," said Paige, interrupting her. "Uh, you serve Shirley Temples, right?" she asked nervously.

The waitress smiled. "The kid? No. Boy, that'd be somethin' huh?" she said, the only one laughing at her bad joke. Paige returned a forced smile and nod. "But yeah, our bartender knows the drink. Two beers and a Shirley Temple coming right up!" she finished and spun on her heel, heading for the bar.

"Alright! I'll be right back!" Paige immediately got back to her feet. "Wow, this place is just great. A really, really hep gin joint – really swell – so I should go off to the ladies room and, uh, _powder my nose_!" she said, excusing herself awkwardly. "A dame don't wanna look shiny!" finished Paige brightly before rushing off to the women's bathroom she'd seen just inside the entrance.

Pvt. Leo turned to the man he thought was Walsh, shaking his head softly. "She's a looker, I'll give you that, but she talks like she just fell out of a Bogart picture.

Leo shrugged at his younger self with a smirk, remembering one of Walsh's quirks. "You know I have a thing for the nutty gals."

Pvt. Leo laughed. "Now that's an understatement!" He picked up the frosty bottle of beer the waitress had just left at their table and took an appreciative sip. "Mmm. Can't say I understand the appeal though. Give me a strong woman who knows her own mind over a knockout with a screw loose any day," he remarked with a smirk. "And it doesn't hurt if she's a dynamite cook either, eh? I love Lillian, but her meatloaf is worse than the Army's!" Pvt. Leo shook his head in a loving frustration.

The whitelighter Leo raised his beer in a toast, both to his past and the future he'd so recently been given a hint of. Not that his past self knew any of this. "To the right woman," he announced, Piper coming unbidden to his mind.

"To the right woman," echoed Pvt. Leo, not really reflecting on anyone as they clinked bottles.

* * *

Paige scrambled into a stall and waited quite impatiently for the woman at the sink to finish washing her hands. She tapped a bulkily heeled foot. _C'mon, how clean do your hands gotta be, lady?!_ she thought in irritation. Finally, the woman dried her hands on a towel and left. Paige had orbed out before the restroom door had fully swung shut. 

She rematerialized in Leo's dorm room, which somehow now looked even more disheveled than before. "What the…?" Paige suddenly heard a creak in the floorboard break the silence and ducked instinctively. A woosh of air went by her head as she threw herself to the floor, and a darklighter's arrow slammed into the wall next to her head.

She spun around to see Wilkins taking aim for another shot with his crossbow. As the crossbow bolt hurtled toward Paige she called for it and sent it back into Wilkins' shoulder. "Fool!" he scoffed, as he pulled the arrow out of his shoulder. "The poison won't work on me!"

"Well, ya' still bleed, doncha'?" replied Paige, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

The darklighter twisted his injured shoulder back, readjusting his stance. "You're too late anyhow. I've already hidden the pendant in a place you'll never find it – in time to save your precious whitelighter anyway!"

Paige narrowed her eyes at the darklighter. "Oh, there's _always_ time. But if you're not gonna spill it – _crossbow_!" she called, sending it across the room. "Couch!" she shouted again, landing the piece of furniture on top of Wilkins, pinning him. "I guess I'll just have to make you talk!" She reached into her purse, retrieving a truth potion, and the vanquishing potion, that the sisters had brewed earlier.

She threw the potion before he could react and it shattered against his forehead, remnants dripping onto the floor and into his eyes. "Oops," said Paige with a menacing smirk. She really hadn't meant to do that, but it _was_ kinda funny.

The darklighter sneered at her. "I told you, you'll never find it. Not when it's still in – " he stopped himself by literally biting his tongue, the salty taste of blood rolling down his throat as he realized what he'd almost been compelled to reveal.

He immediately began to dissolve into black orbs and fly through the ceiling, but Paige grabbed onto the swirling black mass. "Oh, no you don't!" she warned and threw the dark orbs back to the ground before they had completely disappeared. As he solidified and slid across the floor the pendant escaped his pocket, coming to rest neatly at Paige's feet. She bent down, picking it up and hastily stuffed it into her purse. She narrowed her eyes at the darklighter sprawled across the floor. "You lied! You just got here - didn't you?!"

"Well, I _am_ evil," Wilkins said with a shrug, another crossbow appearing in his hands in a puff of black smoke. "I guess we'll just have to battle this out," he said, cocking his head to the side as he took aim.

Paige rolled her eyes and called out, "Arrow!" as one sped toward her. This one took root in the darklighter's heart and Wilkins staggered back against the wall. "You just don't get it, do you? That thing isn't gonna work," she paused a second, the cockiness suddenly fleeing her heart. "Wait a minute! You should be dead…"

A menacing smile appeared across his face. "Perhaps it is you that doesn't 'get it'. I may not be invincible anymore, but bonding with Kaalaya has still endowed me with great power!" he boomed.

"Crap," said Paige, her expression dropping. Suddenly, she remembered the vanquishing potion still in her left hand and smirked.

The darklighter stalked forward toward Paige, the truth potion compelling him to say his thoughts aloud. "If shooting you won't work, I'll just have to stab you with the arrow. And I'll have the honor of being the first to kill a Charmed One."

"Not really," replied Paige grimly, thinking of Prue. After spending all this time with her, the idea of having lost a sister had become much more real and Paige found herself almost reliving, or really feeling, the loss for the first time.

As the darklighter lunged at her, Paige dodged, rolled away, and found herself slamming into a table leg as she suddenly became very woozy midroll. It was then that she finally noticed the blood oozing from a gash across her cheek. That first arrow seemed to have grazed her after all. Paige blinked, pulling her spinning senses back together. In her daze, she'd dropped the potion vial, but she could see it had rolled underneath the table.

Without looking back to see where Wilkins was, and the dizziness making her forget her powers momentarily, she scrambled to reach the vial before he did. He, unfortunately, saw what she was after and dark-orbed in, grabbing the vial just as Paige's fingertips grazed the glass.

"Ah, ah, ah," he scolded. His tone betrayed the belief that he had won this battle. "I've won. I can see the poison is slowing you down." He raised an arrow over Paige's chest. "Now I'll just be taking my necklace…"

Paige focused her eyes on the darklighter. _Boy – I must really be out of it if I forgot I could just call for it,_ she thought, her head reeling. _Orb it…_ she thought slowly. "Vial!" she called out. As the vanquishing potion appeared in her hand she slammed her palm into the arm that Wilkins was plunging the arrow at her heart. He dropped the arrow, the tip of this one now grazing her forearm.

As Wilkins' whole body was soon engulfed in flames Paige pulled herself to her feet, dusting herself off. "I'd say it was nice knowing you, but, well, it _wasn't_!" she remarked lightly as he finally exploded, leaving nothing but a singed ring on the floor.

Paige absently scratched her temple, wondering how she was going to cover up the collateral damage to the room's furniture from the fight. She thought for a moment before lightly hitting her head with the palm of her hand. "Duh! Geez, I'd better get Leo to heal me…" she thought aloud as another wave of dizziness, and now nausea, washed over her. She ran a hand down the side of her face before reciting the spell.

_Let the object of objection_

_Become but a dream_

_As I cause this scene _

_To be unseen_

A wave of energy washed over the room and the furniture reappeared in their original positions. The scorch on the floor and the hole in the wall had disappeared as well. In fact, the only problem was that the spell had worked a little too well. The mess strewn about the room, not just by the darklighter but Leo's original mess, had been completely tidied up.

"Dammit," said Paige with a sigh. She glanced around the room trying to remember what had been where when she first saw the room, but the haze blanketing her mind was making that an exceptionally difficult task. Finally, Paige began to just throw things from inside Leo's now magically neatly packed duffle bag around the room. She then went through the trashcan and dug out a handful of empty cans, bottles, and packages, placing them on the tables. Finally, she smeared various condiments and breadcrumbs on some clean dishes and placed them around the room.

_Here's hoping he can't tell the difference_, thought Paige as she held her queasy stomach. _I have to get back to Leo._ She braced herself on a chair before closing her eyes and orbing back to the USO club restroom, hoping no one was there.

Luckily, it was still empty. Paige hurriedly fixed her hair in the mirror and wiped the blood from her cheek and arm as best she could before returning to the main room.

* * *

By now, both Leos had finished their first beers, nearly simultaneously, and Pvt. Leo had ordered another round while the disguised whitelighter abstained. He needed to be clear headed should anything happen, so he just sipped from Paige's untouched Shirley Temple. That sip had earned him a teasing remark from his younger self, but he was too preoccupied with what was taking Paige so long to return to form much of a rejoinder.

"What do you think is taking your doll so long?" Pvt. Leo finally asked.

The future Leo smiled nervously. "You know women – always want to look perfect…" he answered. To his relief, Paige rushed up to the table at that very moment.

"Leo! Uh, I mean, hi again Leo," she said.

"Hi. Welcome back," replied Pvt. Leo, but suddenly he looked concerned. "What happened to you? Are you alright?"

Paige's hand flew to the cut on her face self-consciously. "Huh – oh? Yeah. I kinda slipped in the ladies room. We've gotta get out of here!" she exclaimed before realizing her slip-up and trying to cover. "Uh, These cheap _old_ shoes!" she said, shaking her head as she pretended that this was long a source of frustration. But the headshake made her head spin and she found she had to steady herself against the older Leo's chair. "Whoa." Paige blinked slowly before regaining her equilibrium and feigning a smile at Pvt. Leo. "Heh. And the lighting was dark. A very _dark-light,_" she said to the 1980's Leo.

For his part, Leo the whitelighter was back to worrying again as he quickly realized Paige must have run into something pretty serious trouble. Meanwhile, Pvt. Leo stood up and dabbed at Paige's face with a cloth napkin. "You're bleeding," he said with concern. "I can clean that up if you like."

"Uh, no thanks," she said, taking the cloth and holding it to her face herself.

Pvt. Leo gave up the napkin easily but no the subject. "If you're dizzy, that might mean you have a concussion."

Paige readily seized on this. "Then I guess I'd better get to the hospital, huh!" she said brightly, pointing a finger into the air. "C'mon, let's get going _hon_," she said to the 80's Leo, tugging on his jacket. "It was nice meeting you Leo!" she said hurriedly.

Paige slid her arm around Leo's as he stood up, this time not to tease him, but to stabilize her balance. She wasn't in pain yet, but _was_ seriously hoping that Pepto Bismol had been invented by now. Paige extended her hand and quickly shook Pvt. Leo's hand. "Gotta go!"

"It was nice meeting you too, Ms. Mathews," he said, bemused and shook the other Leo's hand. "Maybe we can finish this tomorrow? That is, if Ms. Mathews is feeling better."

The disguised whitelighter shook his head. "Uh, probably not – shipping back tonight!"

Pvt. Leo's brow furrowed. "You didn't mention that before…"

The future Leo shrugged hurriedly. "I didn't? Oh, uh – " he looked back askance at Paige, who was now breaking into a cold sweat. " – Whoops!" he finished lamely. "We should get going," he said as he wrapped his arm around her waist and turned toward the door.

"Nice seeing you again!" Pvt. Leo called out after their retreating forms. As the club door swung shut behind them, he shook his head, puzzled, and then shrugged. He finished the last of his drink before realizing he was stuck with the bar tab and laughed to himself. _Maybe she faked all that just to get Walsh out of paying the bill… _he shook his head again with a smile. "Naah." Pvt. Leo got up to go back to his living quarters and, unknown to him, pack his duffle bag for his waiting destiny.

Paige slumped against Leo as soon as they were out of Pvt. Leo's sight. The pair limped away from the club in search of a secluded area. Finally, they arrived behind a dumpster. "What happened?" asked an alarmed Leo.

Paige put on a brave face, but her wizened smile betrayed her illness. "Eh! Just grazed by a darklighter arrow. Or two. No big deal!" she was hit again with a sudden wave of dizziness and her head swung back, her eyes rolling back into her head. "Whoa. Okay – maybe not so fine."

Leo raised his hands to Paige's face and arm and the familiar golden glow quickly healed the cuts. It took a few moments longer before the color returned to her skin and she began to feel right again. "Thanks" she said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"So what happened?" asked Leo, now less urgently. Paige adjusted her skirt and blouse as she talked. "Long story short? Wilkins was already there when I orbed in and he ambushed me. But, being the fabulous Charmed One that I _am_,"she flashed Leo a grin with this mock arrogant statement, "Well, let's just say he's just a smudge now and I got the info we needed."

"What about the amulet?" asked Leo. He didn't particularly want to stay in this time any longer than necessary. Too many memories, both bad and good, were getting to be overwhelming.

"Oh! Yeah!" Paige reached into her pocket and revealing a necklace, which dangled from between her fingertips. "Ta-da!"

"Great. Let's get out of here," said Leo hastily.

Paige raised an eyebrow. "What? Don't wanna catch up with the old army buddies now that we're not in such a hurry?" she asked teasingly. At the look that passed over Leo's eyes, Paige's face dropped, remembering that this was not her Leo and he hadn't faced those personal inner demons yet. She grimaced. "Sorry…"

"For what," he asked._ How could she know? _he thought.

Not wanting to bring up Leo's emotional baggage, Paige shrugged it off. "Nothing. Now let's get back to that portal!" she replied and orbed off.

* * *

Leo soon caught up with her, orbing in next to her outside the house by which they'd arrived in this time. He found Paige standing on the sidewalk, behind a bush, watching through the house's front window at two young figures groping. "Now what do we do?" asked Paige as Leo joined her behind the hedge.

"We need a diversion," he answered simply, "But something that won't change anything significant."

Paige nodded. "Right. So no fires," she said with a smirk. "So… how do we roll two hot to trot teenagers apart and get them out of the house?"

"That freezing power of Piper's sure would come in handy right about now," remarked Leo as he absently scratched the back of his head.

"I hear ya," replied Paige. A hush fell over the two as they both stood in thought for a moment. They both mulled over a way to get the teens out of the house long enough that the spell's ritual could be performed, but both of them had to be in the house to hop into the portal when it reopened.

Leo sighed. "I could sure use some inspiration right about now."

"That's it!" exclaimed Paige loudly enough to startle Leo from his reverie.

"What is?"

"Inspiration! Well, not _them_ specifically – but magical creatures. Couldn't one of them help us?" Paige's face fell again. "_Oh_, but they don't know us in this time."

"No – but you might be able to conjure something else," as his own inspiration had struck.

"Like what?" asked Paige.

Leo smirked. "Well, they're teenagers, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"_So_ – I noticed that a theater up the street is playing Casablanca – perfect for a couple of lovebirds!"

Paige crossed her arms obstinately. "And what are we supposed to do? Just knock on the door and say 'Hey kids! You should see this new flick and don't mind us, we just want you out of the house!"

Leo shrugged. "This was a more trusting time. All we have to do is conjure up some movie tickets and pose as promotions people"

Paige just blinked at Leo, digesting the plan. "Oh, this should be _fun_," she finally remarked wryly. Leo smirked as a plan took shape in his mind.

* * *

**Next Time: Teenage Penny is tricked, the demon Kaalaya makes his next move, and Chris is back!**


	16. Subterfuge

Author's notes: Hey, long time no see! To all the readers that were on me to continue: thanks for sticking with me! Real life made writing basically impossible as I switched jobs and that majorly flipped my schedule around so I kinda dropped the ball here. I'm hoping I can get back into a habit here and crank the chapters out again. As always, feedback helps me keep it up - and your input could change the end of the story so please feel free to suggest scenes!

* * *

**Ch. 15 : Subterfuge  
**

* * *

It only took a few moments for Leo to outline his plan. Paige nodded as he finished. "So, you're suggesting a simple bait and switch?" 

Leo shrugged in response. "In essence, yes. That is if you think you can pull it off."

"Piece of cake!" Paige smiled and extended her hand in front of her, palm up and began a recitation off the top of her head.

_Calling on the stars above_

_Bring me tickets to see the stars of Hollywood _

_In a flick for kids in love_

A puff of green sparkles of light immediately deposited a pair of small tickets into the palm of Paige's hand. They read "**Bayside Queen Theater - Admit One For . Good only on , 1942.**" Paige furrowed her brow in confusion. "Okay... maybe not so much a piece of cake. More like a crumbled cookie. I don't get it, what was wrong with that spell?"

Leo leaned in to have a look at the tickets and laughed when he saw the source of her confusion. "These are the days before auto-printers, remember? Most movie tickets in this time come in big rolls, like you're used to seeing at a county fair in your time. They still use those in your time, right?"

"Actually, we all have chips implanted into our hands that computer read to let us pay for everything – like walking human credit cards!"

Leo tilted his head and raised his eyebrow in surprise. "Really?"

Paige laughed. "No! Gullible much!" she exclaimed in a teasing tone. "Sorry, couldn't help myself! So anyway, what, do we just write in the movie?"

"Yup," replied Leo. Paige pulled a pen from the front pocket of her nurse's blouse and wrote in _Casablanca_and the date. Eyeing her penmanship, Leo took the opportunity to return Paige's teasing. "I see the future doesn't much bother with cursive in schools..."

Paige rolled her eyes. "Hey, gimme a break, huh? I do most of my writing on a computer or texting – I'm rusty!"

"Texting?" wondered Leo aloud, knowing he wouldn't get an answer.

Sure enough, Paige brushed his question off and instead shut her eyes, concentrating on her glamoring. Her outfit transformed into a saucy woman's business suit of the era, her head topped with a jaunty but feminine fedora styled hat. She then eyed Leo. "I don't think many movie moguls where army uniforms, Leo."

"Oh. Right." He quickly glamored out of his Pvt. Walsh disguise, taking back his real face and changing into a civilian wardrobe.

"Nice outfit Leo. I see you're a big fan of Bozo the Clown?" Paige said with a laugh when she saw the clothes he had chosen.

"No... what do you mean? I see no floppy shoes on my feet." Paige just shook her head with a smile in response. "Hey, this is what Hollywood types wore in this time!"

"Teal and green striped pants, a bright green shirt, and a red checkered jacket with argyle patterned tie?" asked Paige incredulously.

"Hey, I didn't say it was tasteful! Didn't you ever see a picture of Dorey Sherry?"

"Who?"

"Never mind," replied Leo with a sigh. "Maybe you should just follow my lead."

"Yes, sir!" said Paige accompanying the statement with a short mock salute and a smile. "Let's get outta here!"

The pair came out from behind the bush they had been hiding behind and approached the front door. They didn't bother to approach with any stealth as the two teens were still seeing nothing but each other as they necked on the couch. Paige shook her head. "With the way they're going at it, we could probably just orb into the kitchen, do the ritual and leave without them noticing."

Leo chuckled, "Still I'd rather not take that chance." He gave the door a few quick raps with his knuckles. Paige leaned over to Leo's ear and commented quietly, "What kind of reckless teenagers make out right in the window where their parents could catch them from_outside_ the house?!" This painted a smirk across Leo's face as an only slightly rumpled red-headed girl answered the door.

Getting a closer look at the girl, both Leo and Paige were struck with the feeling that there was something familiar about this girl. The redhead fidgeted with her blouse, smoothing it down self-consciously, but was still clearly relieved the adults at the door weren't any authority figures. "Can I help you, Mr. And Mrs...?"

Leo puffed himself up, trying to come off as self-important and extended his arm, gently shaking the girl's hand, and the sense of familiarity began to burn in the back of his mind._ Who is this _girl? He was now thrown off entirely, finding himself suddenly self-conscious before the young lady for reasons he couldn't pit his finger on. "Wyatt. Uh, that is, _I_ am Mr. Wyatt. She's not Mrs. Wyatt. That is, we're not married. That would be... wrong. Not that there's anything wrong with here. I mean, uh, this is -"

" - Ms. Matthews. Thanks for the _wonderful_introduction." finished Paige. She too felt the strong aura of familiarity being stirred by this young girl, but instead of being thrown off and slightly intimidated by her like Leo was, Paige found this girl's presence inspired a feeling of family.

Judging by her narrowed eyes and mild frown, the girl was not experiencing anything aside from some serious suspicion. Paige realized the vastly different attitudes were probably not helping their trustworthiness and quickly tried to explain why they were on the girl's doorstep. "You like movies, right?"

"Yeaaah..." the girl answered slowly.

"Well, how would you like to see a free one this afternoon?" asked Paige brightly. As the words left her lips she realized she was not helping their case with that approach. _I may as well have driven up in a van and offered candy and puppies if she'd get inside,_ thought Paige.

A teenage boy's voice called out from the living room, "Who is it, Penny?" With those words the obvious hit the pair of time travelers like a ton of bricks. _This girl was Grams._ It occurred to Paige that she'd seen teenage photos of Penny once, but she should've seen the resemblance between this girl and the woman she'd met in the 1960's. Of course, if there was one thing that the Halliwells had in common, it was not seeing the obvious when relatives drop in from other times.

Penny crossed her arms as the boy joined her side. "That's a good question, Bobby." She crossed her arms, eyeing the pair. "Who _are_ you people?" Growing up, her mother had drilled into her that she must be cautious with whom she trusted – even family, sometimes. She'd heard the story of her mother's cousin who back in the 20's had turned evil and tried to kill her other cousins. It was that incident that had prompted Penny's mother to move back to San Fransisco to help protect the ancestral home in the first place.

Paige now had a stupid grin plastered on her face as this little Grams lived up to her reputation of a tough witch in the making. As much as she wished she could tell Penny who she really was, they didn't have time for a reunion if they wanted to attack Kaalya before he realized Wilkins' mission had failed. Paige did her best to shape her grin into her version of the fake friendliness of a 1940's promotions person. "Well, young lady, we're hoofing it around town giving away free tickets to a new motion picture called Casablanca. Y'know, to get the word of mouth going, get some butts in the seats."

Penny raised an eyebrow at the strange woman on her boyfriend's doorstep. "Anyone ever tell you that you sound like you're doing Katherine Hepburn impression?"

"Hey, it's not ba- uh, ba, va -very nice to talk to your elders that way."_WHEW, close one!_ Thought Paige. "But I don't blame ya, see, I'm from...Hollywood. You know us Holly-weirdos!"

she finished with a laugh and too big grin to cap it.

Penny didn't look impressed. "Right. So, what are you selling then?"

"Nothing!" replied Paige cheerfully. "Just trying to get the word of mouth going, like I said! Free! Last ones left!"

Penny still didn't seem convinced but her boyfriend seemed very keen on the idea. He wrapped an arm around Penny, squeezing her lightly. "Aw, c'mon Penny! Why pass up a free picture? My parents are gonna be home soon, anyway, so we should get outta here. Anyway, isn't that the new Bogart picture? I know you have a crush on him – you like all the older actors."

Penny reflected for a moment before finally reaching a decision. "Well.. he _is_ a dreamboat and we don't wanna get caught by your folks..." she reasoned as she linked arms with Bobby.

The young man beamed a grin at the two strangers from Hollywood as they handed over the tickets. "Gee, thanks lady!"

Paige was already backing off the front porch in an attempt to appear disinterested in the house, and to encourage the young couple's departure. "Ok, cool! Well, we'd better get going. Things to see, people to do – er, uh – yeah, and you two better skedaddle yourselves! That movie starts in 10 minutes!"

The boy nodded eagerly. "Don't you worry ma'am, we'll tell everyone about this!" A shocked expression splashed across Paige's face for just a moment as he continued to _talk. How was he on to them_?! "You'll get that word-of-mouth you're looking for! I just hope for your sake its a good film!" he said as he and Penny began their way down the sidewalk.

"Great! Thanks!" answered Leo, waving goodbye. "Enjoy yourselves!" he called after them as they turned a corner.

Paige heaved a sigh of relief as the couple were out of sight. She glanced around, making sure no one was watching before grabbing Leo's arm. "Let's go!" she said as they disappeared in a whirl of orbs.

* * *

The pair reappeared almost instantly inside the house's kitchen and Paige hurriedly searched the kitchen's drawers. Meanwhile, Leo patted down the wall, looking for the time ripple that must have been created when they traveled into the past, quickly finding his hand passing through a slightly discolored section of the wall. After a couple drawers Paige finally exclaimed, "Ah-ha!" and pulled out a small box and matches. Paige pulled out 5 tea candles, arranging them in the pattern of the points of a triquetra at the base of the time ripple, lit them, and took a deep breath. "Let's hope this works." She began to chant. 

_Hear these words, Hear the rhyme,_

_Heed the hope within my mind,_

_Make this ripple in this time,_

_Travel forward to our time!_

As the portal glowed into existence the voice of young Penny Halliwell could be heard coming from the living room, calling back to someone. "Yes, I know we're in a hurry, _thank you,_ but it's always freezing in that theater and I'm not going to let you give me your coat and suffer instead! My sweater is in the kitchen if you'll just hold your horses -"

Paige and Leo exchanged surprised glances and shrugged before dashing into the swirling vortex. Penny stepped into the room just in time to see a stylishly heeled pump disappear into the portal and the magical energy dissipate from the wall, huffing out the candles. She furrowed her brow. _I'll have to tell mother about this, mortals don't usually have magical mischief in their houses_, she thought. _I sure as heck hope Bobby isn't a warlock... guess I'll have to test him._ She grabbed her sweater – and a pin from a drawer – before returning to her boyfriend.

Moments later a cry of "OUCH!" emanated from the living room.

"Oh! You're _bleeding –_ uh, oops, how did that happen? Must have been stuck in my sweater from my... sewing earlier. Let me bandage that up for you! It's a shame, I guess we're gonna miss that picture. I guess we'll just have to go to the soda shop like we planned." Penny certainly wasn't going to a movie that two probable warlocks set them up for, but she was young and still had a social life to live! _I can just tell mom over breakfast tomorrow_, she thought as she went to get a bandage for Bobby.

* * *

"Oh, thank God!" exclaimed Piper as Leo lept out of the portal, taking his hands. Her face broke into a toothy grin as she saw he was okay – and what he was wearing. Piper had fallen into dressing her husband over the years, as he didn't particularly enjoy shopping any, but she was more than happy to steer him away from his natural fashion sense. This little ensemble only reinforced _that_ decision. 

Leo was quickly followed by Paige as she dove out of the portal. "Is someone after you?!" asked Prue, alarmed by their haste.

Paige picked herself up and brushed herself off. "Only Grams," she replied with a sly smirk. At their surprised expressions, Paige raised a hand to stop their questions before they began. "Don't worry! She doesn't – didn't – know who we were – I think. Anyway, didn't tell her anything, she just almost caught us catching our ride home."

"What's with the get-ups?" asked Piper, now off red-alert.

"In a minute," answered Paige hastily, grabbing the hands of the sisters from her time. "First we need to check that we didn't change anything for Grams." She and the sisters orbed away, leaving Leo and the sisters of 1999 standing bemused.

"Leo!" said Prue impatiently, extending her hand.

"Huh? Oh, right!" They all joined hands and followed the sisters from 2007 back to Grams at the manor. They were surprised to find Penny already in conversation with Paige when they reformed in the attic. They were discussing their run-in in 1942.

"Boy she's fast!" exclaimed the younger Phoebe.

"No kidding! Leo could take some notes from her," added the younger Piper, referring to her time's Leo.

"So... everything is fine?" asked Prue.

"Yup!" answered Paige. "A total surgical strike – no messy clean up!"

Prue smirked and put her hands on her hips. "Okay, so what's with the cheesy get-ups? Especially you, Leo – yeesh! Plaid?"

Penny answered before Paige could formulate a defense for her, in _her_ opinion, cute outfit. "A ruse dear. A clever one, actually. Messy and risky, but clever nonetheless. I only vaguely remember it now, but I was visting with some boy..."

"Bobby," interjected Paige with a smirk, "And you have _some_ version of 'visiting'! Quite scandalous, little Miss Halliwell!" said Paige in a scolding voice, only to be met with an unappreciative grimace. "Oh, I'm just teasing! I only hope you weren't _too_strict with my sisters with boys seeing how _you_ were!" joked Paige, continuing to tease.

Grams knew there was no scolding Paige out of this teasing so she decided ti just change the subject. "_Anyhow_, I do recall that these two Hollywood types offered us 2 tickets to so some movie... I remember it seemed awfully suspicious at the time – but we headed to the theater. But I had to come back for something or other and I saw a woman's foot disappear into a portal. At the time, I didn't know what to think of it, and nothing else came of it, so I mostly forgot about it. Until now, anyway. Well! Mystery solved then, huh girls?!" she finished, hoping to close the subject.

"Wait, wait, wait! You were at a boy's house –_ fooling around _?!" asked the younger Phoebe.

"You didn't even approve of me going on a date alone until I was 17!" exclaimed Prue.

Penny, despite not having not yet had the chance to do the things she was accused of, was primed to defend her future actions and began heatedly, "Girls! Girls! You - " but she was interrupted by a swirl of energy that appeared in the middle of the attic.

The eldest Piper rolled her eyes in preparation of a fight and raised her hands. "What now?" she groaned.


	17. Encounters and Enemies

**Author's Notes: This scene was supposed to be in the last chapter. I changed it on the page for Chapter 15, but I thought I'd paste it at the beginning of this chapter as well. I think some of you will enjoy the changes. And no – this isn't that "moment" I promised before. It's just part of the build up to it. :)**

**Thanks again for the comments and please keep them coming – good or bad – they keep me motivated!**

* * *

Although only a few minutes had passed, the tension in the dilapidated old kitchen had made it feel like hours. "I thought their return should be instantaneous? Like when we returned from the 70's to fight Nicholas!" said Prue in the irritated tone her sisters recognized as the one she used to mask her fear.

The older Piper crossed her arms. "Yeah, see, that's the thing about time travel – you never know. It could be that however long they spend there will pass here." She shrugged. "or not. And we won't know one way or another until _something_ comes out of that portal."She sighed.

Seeing the clouds of worry further darken her older sister's eyes, the younger Phoebe tried to lighten the mood. "At least we know the past hasn't been changed too drastically. I mean, we're still here, right?"

Prue began to pace the small room like a caged lion. "I feel like we should be doing _something_!"

"Like what?" asked the Phoebe from her time. "A game of Eye-Spy?"

Prue shot her a withering look. "Being a smart ass isn't very attractive, little miss!"

"Don't you 'little miss' me!" shot back the younger Phoebe. "Who do you think you are – Grams?!"

Prue flipped on her heel to face Phoebe. "Why you-" began Prue haughtily, but she was she was quickly interrupted by the older Piper.

"Hey – hush! Both of you!" she said loudly over the bickering in her best 'mom' voice. "Arguing isn't going to make them come back any faster!"

"Yeah, but it does help pass the time," said the younger Phoebe wryly.

The older Phoebe smirked. "I never realized how much of a smart ass I really was!"

"_Still_ are," teased the older Piper.

Her time's Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Oh, c'mon! That was too easy. I practically set that line up!"

Piper shrugged, but before a rejoinder could be vocalized the sound of magic filled the room and the portal reopened.

"Miss me?" said Paige as she was engulfed by the arms of her sisters.

"Oh, thank God!" exclaimed Piper as Leo lept out of the portal. Lost in the moment, the older Piper immediately sprang from the group hug to embrace Leo and quickly found herself alone in his embrace. Leo, not expecting this, returned the hug after a moments hesitation.

Piper suddenly became self-conscious of the fact that this was not 'her' Leo, but a Leo who had just met her and the hug ended awkwardly. "Just glad to see you're okay," said Piper.

Leo smiled back warmly at this. "Thank you."

Her face broke into a toothy grin which was a combo of embarrassment, relief that he was okay – and at what he was wearing. Piper had fallen into dressing her husband over the years, as he didn't particularly enjoy shopping any, but she was more than happy to steer him away from his natural fashion sense. This little ensemble only reinforced _that_ decision.

"Is someone after you?!" asked Prue, suddenly noting the haste with which the pair had exited the portal.

"Only Grams," she replied with a sly smirk. At their surprised expressions, Paige raised a hand to stop their questions before they began. "Don't worry! She doesn't – didn't – know who we were – I think. Anyway, didn't tell her anything, she just almost caught us catching our ride home."

"What's with the get-ups?" asked Piper, now off red-alert.

"In a minute," answered Paige hastily, grabbing the hands of the sisters from her time. "First we need to check that we didn't change anything for Grams." She and the sisters orbed away, leaving Leo and the sisters of 1999 standing bemused.

"Leo!" said Prue impatiently, extending her hand.

"Huh? Oh, right!" They all joined hands and followed the sisters from 2007 back to Grams at the manor. They were surprised to find Penny already in conversation with Paige when they reformed in the attic. They were discussing their run-in in 1942.

"Boy she's fast!" exclaimed the younger Phoebe.

"No kidding! Leo could take some notes from her," added the younger Piper, referring to her time's Leo.

"So... everything is fine?" asked Prue.

"Yup!" answered Paige. "A total surgical strike – no messy clean up!"

Prue smirked and put her hands on her hips. "Okay, so what's with the cheesy get-ups? Especially you, Leo – yeesh! Plaid?"

Penny answered before Paige could formulate a defense for her, in _her_ opinion, cute outfit. "A ruse dear. A clever one, actually. Messy and risky, but clever nonetheless. I only vaguely remember it now, but I was visiting with some boy..."

"Bobby," interjected Paige with a smirk, "And you have _some_ version of 'visiting'! Quite scandalous, little Miss Halliwell!" said Paige in a scolding voice, only to be met with an unappreciative grimace. "Oh, I'm just teasing! I only hope you weren't _too_strict with my sisters with boys seeing how _you_ were!" joked Paige, continuing to tease.

Grams knew there was no scolding Paige out of this teasing so she decided to just change the subject. "_Anyhow_, I do recall that these two Hollywood types offered us 2 tickets to so some movie... I remember it seemed awfully suspicious at the time – but we headed to the theater. But I had to come back for something or other and I saw a woman's foot disappear into a portal. At the time, I didn't know what to think of it, and nothing else came of it, so I mostly forgot about it. Until now, anyway. Well! Mystery solved then, huh girls?!" she finished, hoping to close the subject.

"Wait, wait, wait! You were at a boy's house –_ fooling around _?!" asked the younger Phoebe.

"You didn't even approve of me going on a date alone until I was 17!" exclaimed Prue.

Penny, looking to change the subject, turned her attention to Paige. She shook her head, taking on the lecturing tone. "Paige, honey, I know that this was all pre-destined, but you really should be more careful. Or at least work on your acting. You stuck out like a sore thumb!"

Paige frowned. "But I did my best to use the lingo and stuff..."

Leo nodded. "_Yeah_... about that. A little over the top," he said with an apologetic shrug.

Paige threw up her hands. "Well, why did you say anything?!"

Leo shrugged. "I don't know... I guess I didn't want you to be self-conscious and act even more unnaturally."

Paige shook her head at Leo and Penny. "_I _think that you two just aren't used to my brand of exuberant personality!"

The older Phoebe shook her head with a smirk. "Oh, don't worry Paige. Some of us just weren't meant to be super spies. You're still an awesome witch!"

Paige shrugged. "Well, at least I got to see Ella Fitzgerald."

"What?!" exclaimed the younger Phoebe. "_Not fair_! I love her stuff!"

"How did you manage that?" asked the older Phoebe.

Paige began to explain what had transpired, but she was soon interrupted by a swirl of energy that appeared in the middle of the attic.

The eldest Piper rolled her eyes in preparation of a fight and raised her hands. "What now?"

**Chapter 16: Encounters and Enemies**

* * *

The swirls of blue inkling light soon resolved into the form of a young man. Penny raised her hands, ready to, literally, throw him out of the house. 

"Chris!" The elder Piper dropper her hands and smiled. "Is something wrong? What are you doing here?" she asked, worry causing her voice to pitch upward.

Quick to ease his mother's worries, Chris raised his hands to stop her and shook his head. "No, no, everythings fine! Better than fine, actually. Leo is nice and solid again. I waited for hours but you didn't show back up so I thought I'd catch up and see if you needed any help around here. Uh, where is here, anyway?"

"But we just stopped the threat minutes ago..." said Paige in confusion.

Chris shrugged. "Time travel is funny like that. That's part of what makes it so dangerous – that relativity of reality."

Penny, tired of waiting to be introduced, interrupted in an huffy tone. "Is anyone going to tell me just who this young man is?"

"I'm uh..." Chris paused, unsure of what Penny had been told about the future. And, truth be told, she had always intimidated him in any time, dead or not. She was probably the only person, aside from his parents, who could intimidate him – not that he ever let her know that.

Penny threw her arms into the air, exasperated. "Oh, just tell me! I'm getting a memory wipe anyway!"

The Piper from 2007 put a hand on Grams' shoulder. "This is Chris – your future great grandson."

"From the future, obviously," offered the older Phoebe at the look of confusion in Penny's eyes.

"But not our time. Our future's future," finished Paige.

Chris shook his head. "From 2029, actually," he clarified.

Penny opened her mouth, but unsure of what to say, all that came out was slow "Uh-_huh,_" as she tried to wrap her mind around meeting her future grandchild, grand_son, _who was twice the age of her little Piper, his mother, in this time. Finally, she came back with "Well, it's nice to meet you. I see that Halliwell men are just as handsome as the Halliwell women are beautiful," she remarked as she appraised him.

"Uh, thanks." Chris stifled a laugh as he noticed what Paige and especially Leo were wearing. "What's with the duds?" He smirked at Leo's patchwork of plaid and striped clothing. "Nice threads, Jerry Lewis!" he remarked sarcastically.

Paige just roller her eyes before glamoring back into her normal appearance. Leo quickly followed suit, but still wore an expression of both confusion and curiosity. "Uh... is this my son?"

At this inquiry Chris erupted into an exasperated huff. "You _told__him!_ That's just great! What bonehead thought _that_ was a good idea?!" he cried, flinging his hands into the air, accidentally sending a jar of mandrake root flying.

The older Piper froze the jar mid-air and tilted her head at her son, obviously daring him to repeat himself. "_This_ bonehead did." Chris' face belied his embarrassment at what he'd inadvertently called his mother, but Piper continued. "It's not like I thought it was a _good_ idea – it just kind of came out. But it's okay, we'll have the Elders take care of it.

Chris paused now, not sure of his own conflicted reaction. As it turned out, he'd received the memories of his previous lifetime – the timeline in which Wyatt had been evil – and of how serious and careful he'd been – to the point of near constant unhappiness. On the other hand, he also remembered the awesome childhood he'd had in the new timeline where Wyatt was good.

When the past timeline had caught up with him a few years ago, it had been a gradual process. It had started on the anniversary of the day that his other self had arrived in the past as "saved" Paige from eternity as a statue. It wasn't the ideal 23rd Birthday present – anything but, actually – but it wasn't devastating or crippling either. It emerged more like a distant memory – foggy and vague with occasional moments that remained in great clarity.

Having grown up in the better future, the better lifetime formed his personality far more than the darker memories did. And, truth be told, he had never been all that much unlike his self that went back in time to save Wyatt – except that he could lighten up a lot easier than his other self.

Chris crosses his arms, trying to project that no nonsense attitude his other self did so well to show that he meant business with Piper. "Yeah, ok, I guess there's nothing we can do about that now, but can we _please_ try and not spill any more to your past selves?"

He didn't even fully admit it to himself – it was stupid after all – but a part of Chris felt like he had to prove that he was just as capable and, frankly, as much of a bad ass as his former self was. If not to his family, then certainly to himself. Even after he'd recovered the memories of that other reality his family had only mentioned in passing their memories of him. Chris had long figured that it was that they didn't want him to feel like he had to live up the Chris that had given his life for the family, coupled with having kept that secret for so long, that left his Mom, Dad, and Aunts so closed mouthed on the subject, but nonetheless he felt the weight of that past sacrifice that he had,_ and hadn't_, made.

If he was honest with himself, Chris had to admit that as dangerous as this trip through time was, a part of him was enjoying the chance to prove himself – this self - up to the challenge of saving the powerful, if now humble, Wyatt himself.

Chris glanced around the ever ageless attic. "So – when are we now?" he asked, eying Penny and Leo.

Leo spoke up first. "This is 1982." He cleared his throat and extended his hand awkwardly. "Nice to meet you Chris, uh, son."

Chris smiled, shaking his head in a knowing fashion, and took his father's hand – but then pulled him from there into a manly but warm embrace. "You know its always hug for the Halliwells, Pop!" As long as Leo knew who he was, Chris figured he may as well treat him like his dad. Although he had the memories of the other Chris, and his resentments toward his father, they were distant – like he had watched it all on a television show or something.

Leo wore a look of mild embarrassment and patted Chris on the back stiffly. "Um, no. Actually, I didn't. I just met the little Halliwell sisters today."

Chris pulled back quickly back out of the hug and looked at the Charmed Ones, realization dawning on his face.

"What is it?" asked the younger Piper.

"I'm not totally sure, yet. I think I need to know why you guys had to go back to the 1940's," replied Chris.

Grams nodded and turned to Paige. "Yes, what did happen? Is the bastard vanquished?" she asked, trying to get them focused back on the matter at hand.

Paige nodded. "Yup. We've got one vanquished darklighter and one cursed pendant in hand!"

* * *

Paige and Leo took turns explaining what had happened during their trip to the 40's, with Paige teasing Leo about his 'bachelor pad' and Leo teasing Paige that his past self had thought she was a nutball. When Paige finally explained what she had learned from Wilkins, the Darklighter, Chris spoke up. 

"That's what I was afraid of – we need to get moving!"

The older Piper cocked her head to one side in concern. "Why? What is it?"

"Don't you see? First an attack when you and Dad are about to get together, now when he first became your Whitelighter." The women continued to look at his with blank expressions, the realization clearly not registering with them. Chris continued, directing his attention to Leo now. "He's attacking all the most significant points in your life, right?" he asked.

Grams raised her eyebrows. "Now, _he's _a quick one!" remarked Prue.

"For a man," added Penny. "I see he took after the Halliwell side of the family! Uh – no offense!" she offered off-handedly to Leo.

Leo brushed it off, too transfixed by the reality of his future son to be much concerned by Penny's jibes. "No problem." He turned to his adult son, still a little awkward. "Anyway, I'd better go check in with the Elders, and see if they have any ideas on what to do next. It was, uh, nice meeting you. _Strange_, but nice."

Chris returned the gesture with a smile and a nod. "Sure thing, Leo."

Leo paused a moment, not sure what to make of his 'son' calling him by his first name before his orbs quickly dissipated from the room.

The older Piper turned to her remaining family. "Okay, so we've already out that figured that the demon is trying to undo Leo's destiny."

"Doesn't look like he's doing a great job at it if I'm still here – hell, I nearly erased myself without even meaning to!" replied Chris wryly.

"Well, you can thank your Aunt Paige and your Father for that," answered Piper.

Chris' eyes widened as he realized something. "Wait – I think I remember seeing something about that in the Book of Shadows... some kind mystical ceremony..."

"I don't," replied both Phoebes simultaneously.

"I guess we know when the entry was added then – after we get back. _If _we get back," stated Paige.

"So, this Wilkins character – he's a high level demon?" asked Chris.

"No. Just a darklighter," replied Grams.

"How could a darklighter have managed _all _this?" asked Chris, incredulously.

"Uh, no. He would be working for a powerful demon named Kaalaya. He's looking to form the next Triad," said Prue.

"By killing Leo?" asked Chris.

"By eliminating the Whitelighter, the protector, of the Charmed Ones and husband to one of them from all existence," explained Penny.

"Ok, maybe he's not so quick!" whispered Prue to the younger Phoebe.

Ignoring the jibe, Chris seemed to suddenly spring into action. "Look, this is serious and we can't just wait for him to make the next move. The second this Kaalaya figures out his Darklighter buddy failed he's going to go after this time's Leo directly. We need to go after him _now!_"

Penny shook her head. "If he's waited this long to make a move for power he's not going to go off half-cocked now."

The older Phoebe nodded. "Yeah. Something tells me he's seriously patient."

The older Piper put her hands on her hips in an unconscious gesture of leadership she'd inherited from her Grams. "True. But I also have a feeling that he's smart enough to have a backup plan in case something went wrong. We need to be prepared and we probably don't have a lot of time."

"Piper is right," added Penny.

Piper continued as a plan quickly rolled off her tongue. "Chris and I can brew some potions up while maybe everyone else can look through any books that might have some info on this demon. Maybe see if there's a way to find him or summon him or something." Abruptly realizing that she's just usurped control of the group in the presence of two family matriarchs Piper found herself suddenly self-conscience. "That is, uh, if that sounds good to you, Prue? Grams?" she added deferentially.

"Yeah, sounds good to me," replied Prue.

"And I'll go get the little ones," said Penny. "Demons or no, if Kaalaya targets them they're safer here with a house full of powerful witches than just a Wiccan with no active powers. If you girls open up that cabinet under the stack of winter coats in the corner there, you'll find my stash of books. They cover a whole range of magical topics that even the Book of Shadows doesn't. They've been passed down through centuries of Halliwell women."

Paige orbed the pile of musty old furry coats off the cabinet to allow easy access to the small magical library. As the coats, along with much dust, took form in her arms her nose began to twitch, as if she was Samantha on Bewitched, and her head flew forward in a tremendous sneeze, sending her toppling to the ground. As she lay draped over the tower of winter-wear, Paige propped her head into the palm of her hand, elbow on the floor. "Isn't there Pledge in this decade?!" she complained.

"I don't have time to dust, m'dear, I have girls to protect!" called out Penny, lightly dismissing the jibe at her housekeeping as she made her way downstairs.

"Suure," replied the younger Pheobe.

"Yeah, I seem to recall us being her little housekeepers back in the day, don't you sis?" said Prue wryly.

The sisters snickered to themselves before setting about their tasks.

* * *

After the oldest Piper and Chris had made their way downstairs to the kitchen they began to set up ingredients and equipment, easily working in tandem as if they'd done this together a thousand times. This certainly wasn't like the first time Chris had come back to save Wyatt from turning evil. At that time Chris either ended up being completely left out of the process or domineered it from the sisters because he just couldn't seem to get into sync with them – not even his mother. 

Piper reflected on this change in her adult son's demeanor - how he seemed more familiar with how her timing and flow as she brewed potions – before finally realizing something. She decided she may as well broach the subject since the worst he could do was shoot her down for the umpteenth time. "So, Chris... in this new, good future I probably got to show you all this, huh?"

Chris nodded absently, as his attention was divided between her question and his task. "Yeah. Not like the first timeline. You were too busy dealing with demons and later Wyatt's issues and then... well, you know, _it_ happened and you were, y'know – gone. So that time around I pretty much learned everything from books and what little Phoebe and Paige had time to show me before things got really bad." He looked up from the jars of ingredients, a faint smile now upon his face. "But in the new good future... you showed me all your methods and shortcuts. Kind of our own little witch home-tutoring deal when I studied at magic school."

Piper paused mid-stir, her eyes wide at what she was hearing. "Wait – what? You remember all that? But – how? Leo said yo just disappeared. You weren't 'up there' or anywhere else. We were never sure what to think about that Chris' fate..."

"Not exactly," replied Chris, unsure of what he should say.

Piper frowned. "Is that why you were a little stand-offish in the attic with this Leo? You barely said much to him directly. Do you still resent him... for letting you die?" she asked in a worried tone.

"What? No!" exclaimed Chris in dismay. "I just want to make sure I give him his space. I mean, this has gotta be overwhelming enough for the guy meeting his future wife before she's even grown-up, let alone his adult son. But no, me and Dad have an awesome relationship. Both me and Wyatt. He really took to heart what the other me told him about not being there for me the first time. Plus, it helps that he's not a whitelighter this time either." Seeing that Piper was reassured by this information he chose to withhold the complications of the situation and the dual memories he held. This was mainly because it was something his mom didn't need to worry about as she already worried too much about it in his time and he wanted to save her from that for as long as possible.

Piper smiled warmly at this news. "I'm glad. Sometimes it seems like Leo is destined to always be pulled away for one reason or another. So just when do you get those memories back..." began Piper but she was interrupted by the familiar sound of the front door swinging open with a slam, telling her instantly that 8 year old Phoebe must be home.

Sure enough, the little brunette scampered into the kitchen, stopping just short of Chris' feet when she caught sight of the new arrival. A man in the Halliwell home, outside little Andy of course, was a rare sight indeed, but this guy seemed younger than the old men Grams occasionally brought home. Little Phoebe's face immediately broke into a friendly smile as she peered up at Chris and the adult Piper could see the seeds of what would become her flirty nature when she grew up. "I'm Phoebe! Who are you?" she asked the green-eyed young man.

Chris returned her smile, though it was more of a surprised grin, "I'm Chris."

The little girl flung her arms around his stomach in greeting. "Hi Chris! How old are you? I'm eight years old! You don't look like those fake new uncles that visit Grams sometimes!"

Chris bent down to her eye level. "I'm Twenty-three."

"That's pretty old. But you have really pretty color eyes, so I guess that's okay!" replied little Phoebe, considering his face in childish concentration. Something about this strange man was familiar and comforting, just like it had been with the strange new ladies. Are you our cousin too?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah, sure am." replied Chris, as he guessed that's what the sisters had told the little versions of themselves.

By now, Phoebe had decided she liked him. "I like you, so you can stay!" she informed him brightly of her decision.

Chris smiled "Uh, thanks!" he said, a little taken aback by her exuberance. _If only it had been this easy with the sisters when I had come back to 2003,_ he thought.

"_Another_ cousin?!" asked a preteen Prue suspiciously as she joined her little sister in the kitchen.

_So, that's more like it,_ Chris thought wryly.

Prue leaned on the wall in doorway and crossed her arms, "So, what, is he like your brother or something? He looks like you, kinda."

Piper and Chris exchanged glances. Piper shrugged. "Sure. I mean, yes, he does. My brother Chris, here."

"Why didn't you mention him before?" pried Prue.

"You should leave 'em alone, Prue. I mean, they're family so you should be nice. _They're_ nice us..." interrupted 10 yr. Old Piper as she stepped into the kitchen, "and they showed _me_ cool tricks with that stuff they're making," finished little Piper as if to say 'so there!'. She rarely stood up to to challenge Prue so boldly, but something about the lady stirring things in the pot gave her confidence in herself. It was weird, but a good kinda weird.

"What kinda tricks?" asked Prue, now more intrigued and a little jealous, forgetting her suspicions.

"Yeah – what kind of _tricks_?" asked Chris suspiciously. He thought Piper knew better than to reveal magic to these kids by now and risk changing the past.

Adult Piper just rolled her eyes at Chris' paranoid and scolding tone. "Just this mister - " she replied in exasperation as she grabbed a couple of pinches of various colored powders and threw them into an empty bowl. A blue misty POOF exploded from the ceramic bowl, followed by a wisp of red smoke.

"Pyro... uh, pyrotechnics, right?" said little Piper, the new word still clumsy on her tongue.

The 35 year old Piper nodded. "Right. _Pyrotechnics_." She directed this last bit at Chris, adding, "Harmless."

"Oh," stated Chris flatly, now a bit embarrassed at reprimanding his mother.

The little ones, being kids, did not notice this little exchange. "Can I help, again?" asked Piper hopefully.

"Uh, hello? I'm in _sixth_ grade, Piper. If anyone should help, it's _me,_" threw back Prue, her defensive jealousy obvious only to the two adults in the room.

Little Piper crossed her arms in a huff. "You never wanna help Grams!"

"Do too!" shot back Prue.

"Nu-uh! You pretend you got homeworks to do when Grams tells you to do stuff chores!" interjected the 8 year old Phoebe.

"Why you little tattler! I only did that once!" cried Prue, now afraid that the grown-ups would tell her Grams about her tricks.

"But what about -" little Phoebe started in and the girls began to squabble, no longer listening to each other.

The adult Piper, and only experienced parent in the room, held up her hands as Chris began to laugh. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold UP!" demanded Piper and the room hushed."I'm afraid no one is helping today!"

"Why not?" demanded Prue, defiantly.

"Because...uh... because you have..." fumbled Piper.

Chris quickly jumped to the rescue, finishing her sentence. "Homework. You've got homework and that's always more important than messing around in the kitchen brewing up... things," he finished, sounding as if he were channeling something he'd heard his mother say many times.

Adult Piper nodded. "Right. So off you go! Shoo!" Little Phoebe spun on a dime and scampered up the stairs without more than a wave goodbye. Prue, for her part, pouted for a moment before turning on her heel and grabbing her school books from the living room.

Little Piper's mouth had turned down slightly as she wore a face of disappointment that she was clearly trying to hide. Chris knelt down, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, no worries," he said, offering the girl a smile, "maybe I can show you a few magic tricks later?"

Her eyes brightened at this prospect as her small fingers fiddled with the too long sleeves of her sweater. "Yeah, ok. I mean, if you wanna, that'd be neat."

Chris gave her shoulder a squeeze before standing up. "Sure. No problem."

Satisfied, the 10 year old got a juice box out of the fridge before following her sisters upstairs. After she was gone, Chris slowly turned around to face the 35 year old Piper. A sly grin also slowly formed on his face as he met her gaze.

Piper narrowed her eyes back at his mischievous expression. "What?"

"Nothing...' he replied, but his grin continued to broaden as he spoke. Piper gave him a look he'd seen many a time growing up which plainly meant 'spill it, Christopher Perry Halliwell'. He threw up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Ok, ok! It's just... _this_?" he said, nodding his head back at the door the girls had left through, "Priceless! I mean, meeting you before I was born was one thing. This is just... you guys haven't changed a _bit_!" he exclaimed with a laugh.

Piper rolled her eyes yet again at him. "Oh, please! That's a thing to say! So, what – are you saying that we behave like a bunch of bickering children?!"

"No, no... well, yes, actually!" he quickly flung his hands up to protect his face as a dish towel came hurtling at his head in response. "No! You know what I mean. Not so much the childishness, but the bickering is – aw, c'mon, you know – ok, let me just stopping myself into this hole?"

he pleaded, laughing.

Piper shook her head at him slowly, but a small smirk crept across her face despite herself. "_Yes_, OKAY... I see it. I can admit it!"

"Anyway, it's all pretty adorable," said Chris returning his mother's smirk. It was strange to think of his Aunts as 'adorable' but there really was no other word for it. Even stranger than seeing Wyatt as a toddler. At least in that case he had memories of them growing up together.

This was strange on a whole other level as he could see the roots of his adult Aunt's personality, without the filters of adulthood. He considered for a second if he could handle meeting a little Chris and decided that he'd rather avoid learning _that_ much about himself. Too weird.

Piper's voice interrupted his reverie. "Nice save, by the way."

Chris shrugged. "Eh. I just borrowed a line I must've heard from you a thousand times growing up. 'Magic is way to procrastinate and waste time when you don't wanna do your algebra homework!'"

Piper smirked at the remark, despite the mocking tone he took quoting her. "I'll remember that!"

Chris paused a moment before asking suspiciously, "Did I just give you the inspiration for my most hated of parental lectures?"

Piper raised an eyebrow, her smirk widening, "Maybe."

"Damn!" muttered Chris. "_Future consequences!_"

"Now, can I get that that cardamom next to you?" asked Piper as she turned back to the bubbling pot before her, giving it a stir.

* * *

Kaalaya peered intently into an indigo portal which reflected the image of the intense shelling of a WWII battlefield in the south pacific and a fresh young medic huddled behind a sandbag barricade. The demon hadn't heard back from his Darklighter pawn for many hours and he had begun to worry. Not for that idiot Wilkins – his kind were a dime a dozen. No, he was worried that the plan had failed. _"Perchance those cursed witches had somehow followed Wilkins and stopped him!" _he muttered to himself. 

Unfortunately, he'd had to close his portal to that period of 1983 to avoid the Charmed Ones from invading his realm, so contact with Wilkins was nearly impossible._ "We need to open it!"_ muttered the voice in the back of his mind that had become his only company over a millenia ago.. "No!" he shouted back from his rational side. "I don't have the time to wait for the three time frames to sync up to Leo's demise! What if things haven't gone as planned? What then?!"

"_Yes, we must act now, then!_"answered his companion from the back of his mind.

"Yes – we must!"Kaalaya agreed with himself. "If things have gone wrong it will be too late for us to fix it!" Yes, he needed to act now. _"But before you do that we must eliminate the threat in totality – we must prevent Leo Wyatt from ever being born!"_

"But the paradox that we could create... it would be a tremendous risk after the eons we've invested in this plan... there must be another way."

"_No! The Charmed Ones have left us no choice!"_ the voice hissed from the back of his head.

Perhaps it was his desperation, but the voice finally made perfect sense to Kaalaya. He had no choice but the desperate one. "But we cannot kill the witches... we need them to eliminate the Triad to make way for our rise."

"_Of course – yes! It is simple!"_

"Yes.. simple. We need only kill the sisters of 2007 – and remove the sisters from 1999 and the little ones from the picture temporarily."

"_Until our plan has come to fruition!"_

"Then a simple mind wipe from whatever warlock I can dig up..."

"_- and we will have more power than even the Source could've imagined!"_ Kaalaya turned away from the WWII scenes rippling in the portal and waved his hand across an empty space on the wall of his tiny pocket realm and began to recite an incantation under his breath. This would be a very special portal, indeed – unlike any other he'd created for over a millennium.

A swirl of energy balls, darker than empty space itself, swirled into being before forming a watery image of the Halliwell Manor attic. A predatory grin slowly slithered across his face as the voice once again echoed in the demonic madman's head...

"_Welcome to my parlor, said the spider to the fly..."_

* * *

**Author's Note: Believe it or not, there were a few more pages to this. That will just have to go into the next chapter, I suppose! **

**Next Time: **_The sisters form a plan... and dinner!_


	18. See How They Run

**Author's Notes: Is anyone still out there? If so, thanks for hanging in here! A note for the younger readers out there who may not remember: the search engine used to be called 'Ask Jeeves', so that's Phoebe of 1999 is referring to. And the 1999 Piper is from the period on the show when she was still resentful of Leo having to leave because of the whole forbidden romance thing. On with the show!**

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

**Chapter 17: ….See How They Run**

Up in the attic the rest of the Halliwell clan had been diligently pouring through various magic books, both copies of the Book of Shadows, and Prue had even flipped through and old book on theoretical physics and hypothetical dimensions. After finishing a particularly useless paragraph she slammed the book shut in a huff. "What I wouldn't give for the internet right about now!"

The younger Phoebe gave her a sidelong glance. "What – are you gonna 'Ask Jeeves' how to vanquish an ancient portal dwelling demon?" she asked incredulously.

Prue narrowed her eyes at her littlest sister. The expression closely resembled the squint she used to throw demons.

At this, the older Phoebe interjected to diffuse the situation. "Actually! Believe it or not, you'd be surprised at the kind of resources out there – if you know where to look."

"Ha!" exclaimed Prue in response. "Even _your own self_ knows that I'm right!" she declared in mock triumph. Both Phoebes rolled their eyes at this.

Paige brushed off the sibling rivalry and turned to the Phoebe of her time. "_Anyway_, we'd need Billie for _that_ kind of Google-sleuthing and she's kind of out of reach right now – so it's a moot point."

The 28 year old Piper, used to being the middle sister, had been ignoring the bickering in favor of looking through the Book of Shadows from her time. Finally, she cleared her throat to get the other's attention. "Uh... guys? I think I might have found something."

Grams, who was at the other Book of Shadows, looked up. "What is it dearest?"

"Well... there's this entry on the... uh... Occultus Everto? It's something like... a device for summoning hidden demons – or should I say... displaced demons..."

"Why would anyone wanna do that?" interjected the younger Phoebe.

"Hush!" Grams scolded Phoebe and turned to the other sister. "Go on Piper."

Piper paused for just a moment before continuing. "Ok, so anyway, it can reveal hidden magical forces."

"Like portals?" asked Prue, intrigued. She turned to Grams. "And this entry isn't in your Book of Shadows?" Penny nodded in affirmation. "But this does look like your handwriting..."

"It is," affirmed the Halliwell matriarch. "Which means this was – or should I say _is_ – something I will find out about sometime after now and before I die." She turned her attention to the sisters from the furthest into the future. "And you girls know nothing about this?"

All five sisters shook their heads in the negative. Grams nodded sharply. "Which means something must've happened to it!"

"Must have happened to _what?_" asked the older Piper as she and Chris stepped into the attic, potions in hand.

"This!" answered the younger Piper, as she spun the Book around on the table to face the newcomers.

As the older Piper read and absorbed the text Chris glanced at it before nodding. "Oh, yeah... the Occultus Everto. Used to reveal hidden dark magic." He frowned as a realization dawned on him. "This? This is... _not_ good."

"How so?" asked Prue.

Chris ran a hand through his hair as the levity in the kitchen, just minutes before, suddenly drained away from him. "If this is what we need to... well, lets just say we're in some deep magical mojo right about now – like the fate of all good magic depending on our success kinda thing!" he finished flippantly.

The older Piper eyed him, a sarcastic glint in her eye, as she set the potions down on the nearest table. "So what else is new?" The sisters from 2007 shared a smirk at this, while the younger trio's faces resolved into portraits of mild alarm and hardened resolve as they were again reminded in a veiled way of just how much they still had to face to get to the point of taking this kind of danger in an almost bored manner.

Chris began rifling through the Book's pages in a clearly agitated fashion before erupting suddenly. "Dammit! This is bad – I can't find it!"

"Find what?" asked Prue.

"The entry on the Avidaivad!" her replied.

At the blank look he received from every other Halliwell in the room he huffed a sigh of frustration and tried to clarify his meaning. "It's an entry about the numerical power of three."

"You mean The Power of Three," said Prue.

Chris folded his arms. "No. Yes? Uh, no, not exactly," he stumbled, trying to figure how best to convey the concept inside his head. "It's, uh, not about the Charmed Ones. It's about a broader concept than that." He focused his gaze on the most magic savvy Aunt in his time. "You've never heard of it Aunt Paige?"

She shook her head. "No... I mean, it sounds vaguely familiar, but no, not really."

Chris huffed out a lungful of frustration and shook his head. "Great! It must not have been written yet!"

"Well..." began the older Piper, as she gently placed a hand on his shoulder in an effort to instill some patience in the young man, "What do you remember?"

Chris thought for a moment, trying to organize a suitable, yet simple, recap of what he remembered. Finally he shook his head, coming to a decision.

"I need help with explaining this... I need Dad, er, y'know, Leo" said Chris, correcting himself as he offered a look to the sisters of 1999 who had yet to live with an adult nephew around.

The younger Piper interjected before Chris could say anymore - bitterness tainting her tone, "_Well,_ he's up 'there' as usual, getting the _Elders_ up to speed. You know we'll just have to wait."

Chris shrugged and then smirked as he marveled at the early stages of his parent's so-called epic love affair. Finally, he looked back at his very young mother and replied matter-of-factly. "Maybe. Maybe not," before looking up at the ceiling. "Leo... Dad!" he called, seeking a more eloquent speaker than himself. His Dad had always had a way of talking about magic in an almost poetic way. This was not something he'd inherited from his father. He just hoped Leo knew about the rite of the Avidaivad.

A swirl of orbs quickly formed into a distressed looking Whitelighter. "Is something wrong?!" asked Leo with a touch of panic.

"Huh?" asked Chris, calmly. "Oh – no. I was just hoping you could help explain something to everyone."

"Oh," said Leo, "Well, I wasn't quite done with the Elders -"

"Do they know anything?" interrupted Chris.

Leo, a little perturbed at Chris' insolence, continued, "No, but - "

"Then we've got bigger fish to fry. Soon." Chris interrupted again.

Paige shook her head with a smirk. "Now there's that rude little Whitelighter we knew and loved!"

"Indeed," replied the older Piper. "A little respect, huh, Christopher?"

Chris winced at the use of his full name. "Sorry... anyway, Dad, this is important. It's the Avidaivad."

Leo's eyebrows shot up in shock. "I should have known that. I mean, even the Elders aren't sure how much is legend and how much is fact, but... how didn't I see it?"

Chris shrugged. "Don't sweat it. It's not even in the Book of Shadows in this time."

The older Phoebe was far more interested in what Chris had mentioned before as she could feel the well of trepidation that sprung up in Leo when he'd heard that word. "Hold on. Just what is this Avidadi thing?"

"It's a rite," began both Leo and Chris simultaneously.

Chris turned to Leo. "Go ahead, Dad."

Leo was struck with the familiarity of the title coming from this grown man at him before waving Chris off, "No, you can probably explain it better, what with your future knowledge and all."

Chris shrugged, "I'm not so sure about that, that's actually why I called you, but I'll give it a shot. Just let me know if I'm not being clear?" Leo nodded.

Chris paused a moment and the family could almost literally see him arranging the information in his head, searching for a way to best explain what he knew. Finally, he put his palms onto the back of a chair, leaning into it. "Ok... it's a rite, like I said before, but it's not just any old ceremony. The last time it was used this whole plane of reality was nearly torn into oblivion."

"Well that's just fantastic!" announced Paige sarcastically.

"Oh, it gets better. It's hypothesized that it was used to gather the power to form the original Triad. It achieved this by changing history for the benefit of the three founders. Here, have a look." Chris flipped to a page near the beginning of the Book of Shadows.

The older Piper skimmed the entry. "'The Trinity'? Huh. No wonder we never took note of it – it looks like a general entry about the Power of Three. Why doesn't this entry warn us about the rite? And if it's so powerful how come we haven't heard of it by now?"

Leo fielded this question. "_Because _it's so powerful. And dangerous. Whatever ancestor made that entry couldn't have known about it. The last time someone attempted to use it existence itself was nearly destroyed. Since then the actual ritual that makes use of the Power of the Trinity was wiped from the collective memory of the magical community by the Council of Magic. No magical beings know of it's existence, save for magic's few protectors – the Cleaners, Angels of Destiny, The Elders..."

"And whitelighters," finished Chris. "Those who need to be vigilant, protect magic, and insure that it, or something like it, is never used again."

"So why _is _it so dangerous?" asked Paige, fascinated by this little history lesson. _And if I'm a whitelighter, why wasn't I told about it?_ She wondered to herself.

Prue crossed her arms. "Ok, what's the big deal? I mean, we have the Power of Three, right? Wouldn't that make us just as powerful as this Triad thing he's trying to form?"

Leo nodded. "Initially, yes. But as the 3 founding members gather more demons into the fold their power is multiplied."

"Let me guess - by three?" added Paige wryly.

Leo nodded. "You see, three is the most powerful of all numbers."

"But we've defeated the Triad before," said the older Phoebe, "what makes this any different?"

"It's that he's changing destiny. That's the dangerous part," said Chris. "He's using the power of the trinity to undo fulfilled destiny. And he's doing it on a scale that no known magical being can reverse. The problem is, it's a very delicate procedure. If one event isn't completely erased from influencing the future….well, it's bad."

Paige crossed her arms, "Bad like how?"

"Oh, it just strains the forces of time and space to the point of ripping," replied Chris flippantly.

"Oh, is _that_ all?" replied the older Piper sarcastically.

"I guess we know when it was added then – in our time, after we get _back. If _we get back," stated Paige.

"I don't get it. How can just messing around with past events erase someone so completely?" asked Prue, clearly annoyed her own ignorance. "I mean, couldn't someone just restore the original timeline-like the Elders or something?"

"That's the power of it, it's relies on the perfect unity of three," answered Chris, "The rite requires that 3 key points in a person's history, and thus the effect that they had on the world, must be stopped from happening. Unfulfilling destiny. At that point, the demon, or whoever, can perform a ritual that erases the target from all of existence. No single magical being has that power – probably for a reason. If the ritual is performed and the 3 key events haven't been properly changed existence itself begins to tear as multiple realities pull at each other, merge with each other, so on. Until finally enough stress and damage is done to all realities that the structural integrity of existence on every plane is destroyed and... POOF."

"Sound more like a building collapse than magic gone awry," remarked the younger Phoebe.

Leo shrugged. "In essence, the principles are the same. The universe is made up of interdependent energies – be they light, gravity, electricity, or magic – and if you damage one, you strain them all. Do enough damage and it collapses. Or in this case, effectively ceases to exist."

"Yeah... I'm thinking I'd like to avoid that," replied Paige sardonically. "So whats with the 3 key events, anyway? Seems like you'd need to change more than 3 measly events in history to completely wipe a guy out of existence and change all destiny."

Prue nodded. "No kidding!"

This time it was Grams' turn to offer her insight. "3 is a very powerful number, Prudence. _The _

most powerful number."

Leo nodded. "Penny is correct. It's kind of like... the foundation of the universe. It's everywhere, binding the cosmos – and magic – together. Just think about it and how often you see it in the world around you. The importance of those things informed by it. The heavens, the earth, and hell. Its the first prime number can't be divided into equal parts. The triangle is the strongest shape because of the 3 points. We perceive the universe itself in three dimensions. The very atoms that make up your body are made up of the proton, electron, and neutron bound together by forces unknown."

"Ok, but what does science have to do with magic?" asked Prue.

"It's because of 3's integral nature to the universe that it's had major significance for every civilization to ever walk the earth," answered Leo.

The older Piper hadn't lost her basic connection to Leo and had begun to follow his line of thought. "Like the ancient Greek hierarchy of 3 gods – one for each realm. Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld. Or the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost! Huh. Guess I never gave it that much thought."

"Or the three wise men!" added Paige.

"Or the three little pigs... " added the younger Phoebe with a snicker.

"Or Three Blind Mice!" rejoined the older Phoebe.

Prue rolled her eyes, and the older Phoebe, sensing her sentiment just shook her head and shrugged. "Hey – c'mon, a little levity in times of peril? It's good for you!" A smile broke Prue's grimace, despite herself. "Yeah, see... I knew you liked my jokes!"

Phoebe gave her oldest, but now younger than her, sister a small squeeze on the arm, which got another eye roll and an outright guffaw from Prue. "Hey! No fair! You know that's my ticklish spot!" she cried, slapping Phoebe's hand away playfully.

The older Phoebe laughed and shrugged. "Sorry! Younger me has had a bad influence on me!"

"Hey! Don't drag me into this!" replied the younger Phoebe.

The older Phoebe shook her head. "No, no! In a _good _bad influence sort of way! I think I've lost my silly side over the years. Thank you for reminding me of it."

"My pleasure!" the younger replied with a satisfied grin. "But how about the Three Tenors, hm?!" The sisters all laughed at the younger Phoebe's persistence to lighten the mood.

"Girls!" interjected Grams, trying to refocus the girls. "I trust that you've at least all realized that the power of three stems from a deep connection to all creation – magical and mundane alike."

Leo nodded. "Yes. And we need to stop Kaalaya before he tries to perform the rite of Avidaivad. Not just for my sake, but for the sake of all existence."

"So we just need to save time and space from being erased from a demon who exists outside of it?" remarked Paige, sarcastically. "No sweat! Any clue on how we go about that?"

There was a pause as the room's atmosphere sobered up - from the joyful relief of knowing Leo was saved – and it turned to the realization of the dire situation they still faced.

Finally, the older Piper realized something. "Ok, so this rite or Avidaivad... I take that it draws on the power of the trinity. But why hasn't he just performed it already? I mean, he thinks he's already changed 2 of the 3 events he needs and he _has_ his minions to consolidate his power..."

"The ritual requires a focusing object to channel and bind their powers together. It's said that the last time _it_, the totem, was seen was when the Triad was formed," said Leo.

"Ok, so how do we know this totem is even still in existence?" asked Paige.

"Well... he wouldn't be trying this ritual if he didn't at least know that totem was out there, right?" said the younger Piper logically.

"Ninsun's Tears..." mumbled Chris as he thought out loud.

"Whose tears?" asked Paige who was standing closest to Chris.

"Ninsun's Tears. That's what this totem sounds like. I remember reading about it in the book. It's a stone, shaped like a tear drop. The entry was vague but it mentioned something about it being a totem for a forbidden ritual..." said Chris as he tried to remember the details.

Grams began to flip through her copy of the Book of Shadows and Paige grabbed the 2007 copy and passed it to Chris. "Do you remember where you saw it?"

Chris opened the book up to later middle section and began scanning pages. "I think... right around here... here it is! Ninsun's Tears!" he exclaimed, laying a finger on a page which was beautifully illustrated with a picture of what looked like some kind of Sanskrit symbol drawn in red.

The older Piper peered over Chris' shoulder. "Hey, look at this – under the drawing, a small inscription," she said and began to read aloud. "_You will know the power lies before you when you see this sign_. That symbol must be on the totem," concluded Piper.

"And that is definitely my handwriting, which means I must have encountered it sometime in the future - before you girls got your powers back," finished Penny.

Prue sighed in exasperation. "_Great_. So, who wants to go to the future and talk to _that _Grams?"

"But... isn't that still our past?" asked the Piper of Prue's time.

Prue shrugged. "I've given up on tenses. _Now_ is now as far as I'm concerned!"

"Can't we just summon that Grams here and have her tell us where to find it?" asked the younger Phoebe, almost whining.

Chris shook his head. "If you take the totem from this time then Grams might not find it in the future and won't make an entry so we won't be able to ask her about it's whereabouts. Big time paradox!"

"_Yeah_. Explaining all that will give me a bigger headache than than just going to the future," replied Prue.

"Wait – why do we even need to get this thing?" asked the younger Piper. "Why can't we just vanquish him before he gets it?"

The older Piper answered her younger self instantly. "First, we don't know how to find him - let alone vanquish him. And he could easily steal the totem in the time it takes us to figure out how to get to him. Plus, once we retrieve the totem from the point in time that it resurfaces, we'll have slowed him down. No, we need to get this thing before Kaalaya does. I don't even want to think about the kind of mess we'll be in if we don't!"

The younger Piper blinked at her older self's strategic decisiveness. It made her barely seem like the same person as herself - the Piper who follows Prue's suggestion's at nearly every turn and can't even stand up to her own employees. Finally, replied with a muted "Okay."

The older Piper turned back to the group. "But what I don't get is why this entry doesn't warn us about the ritual of the Avidaivad that the totem is for?"

Chris shrugged. "You'd have to ask Grams. The future one who made the entry, I mean."

**Yeah, I know. Abrupt cliffhanger, But this is what I have and I wanted to update, so please forgive the cutoff. Be back soon. :)**


	19. Guess Whos Coming To Dinner?

**Author's Notes: **Thanks to **lizardmomma** and **piper&leo4ever** for the reviews. Good to know some folks out there are still reading :)

I know it's been rather slow the last few chapters and this one is no different – just a short evening of family togetherness. But that will be the quiet before we head off into some major action.

_**Last Time:**_

_The older Piper answered her younger self instantly. "First, we don't know how to find him - let alone vanquish him. And he could easily steal the totem in the time it takes us to figure out how to get to him. Plus, once we retrieve the totem from the point in time that it resurfaces, we'll have slowed him down. No, we need to get this thing before Kaalaya does. I don't even wanna think about the kinda mess we'll be in if we don't!"_

_The younger Piper blinked at her older self's strategic decisiveness. It made her barely seem like the same person as herself - the Piper who follows Prue's suggestion's at nearly every turn. Finally, all she could say was muted "Okay." _

_The older Piper turned back to the group. "But what I don't get is why this entry doesn't warn us about this dangerous rite that the totem is for?"_

_Chris shrugged. "You'd have to ask Grams. The future one who made the entry, I mean." _

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 18: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?**

"Speaking of which – how are we even going to figure out _when_ we're going to?" asked the 26 year old Piper.

At this, both Phoebes gave each other a questioning glance. "You?" asked one, the other just shook her head _no _in response, as they exchanged a silent understanding of what the other was asking. The older Phoebe turned to everyone else "Neither of us can think of a way to even word a spell to bring us to that moment when Grams finds it. At least, without risking exposing magic. Depending on whether Grams picked it up from a magical source or just at some mortal's antique shop we could appear anywhere."

Grams nodded. "You're right girls. Far too dangerous. But it's a moot point – I always mark my entries with a hidden astrological date."

"Not that that isn't helpful – but why?" asked Paige.

"Well, dear, I have a theory about the ties between demonic movements and the astrological alignments. One of the few things I carried over from my hippy days," she added as an aside. "Anyhow, the point is that I include the date of when I learned the information in all my entries - for later reference."

Penny's explanation was rudely interrupted by a very grumpy stomach rumbling loudly. "Sorry!" apologized Paige as she flashed an embarrassed grin.

"Okay, but..." began Prue, who absentmindedly rubbed her own empty stomach, "I, uh, don't see any dates on this entry?"

Penny shook her head emphatically. "Of course not! This is an age-old family heirloom. I would never deface it like a -" she was interrupted again, this time by a suppressed yawn from the younger Phoebe. This quickly spread into a mighty group yawn shared amongst all the weary time travelers. When the group yawn died down, Grams raised an eyebrow and quickly finished her explanation. "I... would never treat the Book like some student's library book, defacing it with dates and the like! All the astrological data is stored in the margins of the entry."

The sisters and Chris scrutinized the entry on Ninsun's Tears, looking for some kind of meaning in the gilded border illustrations. It was made up of various animals and other symbols intertwined in a way reminiscent of Celtic knot work. The group stared at the pictures for a few minutes, but could glean more meaning from them than they could have hieroglyphics. It was the older, empathetic Phoebe who finally admitted that they were all stumped and said, simply, "We don't get it."

Grams regarded this group of witched whom she knew to be both intelligent and resourceful and came to a firm conclusion. They were spent. From the other Halliwell's points of view Penny simply regarded them with her patented all-knowing, yet caring, arrogance. "Well, of course you are are dear! Just look at the state you're all in! Just when was the last time any of you have had a proper meal or slept?"

The six sisters exchanged glances. "Well, there was..." began Paige before trailing off. "Good question! Before we left our time, I guess... how long ago was that?" she asked the group.

Penny could almost see the hamsters running their wheels in the time traveler's heads as they tried to figure out how much time had passed for them, relatively speaking. Finally Paige made a rough guess, "Two days, maybe?"

"More like a day and a half," corrected Prue, who had always been sharp with numbers.

"Far too long, in any case!" scolded Grams. "How do you expect to defeat an upper level demon if you can't even decipher a simple lithograph? No, you're going to get a nutritious meal and a little rest before I let you go gallivanting into the future!"

The older Piper shook her head, "No, Grams. There's no time for that. We don't know how much time we have - "

"No," Penny cut her off, "You can't battle evil on little food and no sleep. Besides, if you can't figure out the simple hidden message in my entry I certainly won't be giving you the answer until you've had some rest! Don't you remember what I always tell, uh, told, you when you try and pull those cram sessions before a big test?"

"No amount of magic can stop a failing brain from ending in a failing test," recited Prue with a nostalgic smirk. The phrase had always annoyed her growing up, but like many things growing up it became a source a familiar comfort as it faded into the past.

The older Piper took stock of her sisters for a moment before finally acknowledging their flagging, tired postures. She sighed in recognition. "Okay! Okaaay. I know better than to argue with you on this. We'll eat."

"But then we're off," added Prue. The older Piper smiled at her 'older' sister's she felt a wave of that old, unspoken connection between them.

"Heeey... waitaminute – did you mean that 'no amount of magic' part _literally_ when you used to say that?" asked the younger Phoebe as realization dawned upon her. Grams smiled at her as if to say _What do you think?_ Everyone else just chuckled as they made their way down stairs for dinner.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

A manager by habit by this point in her life, the 35 year old Piper had taken the role of head chef in Penny's kitchen and put her younger self in the role of sous chef. Grams mostly just watched the two prepare a simple but sophisticated home cooked meal, enjoying the vision of what her shy little granddaughter would grow into. She had, of course, offered her 2... or maybe 200 cents, but the more the older Piper brushed the comments off the more 26 year old Piper's heady confidence came through. By the end of the meal's preparation both Piper's mannerisms were nearly indistinguishable.

Penny, as she noticed this gradual build of confidence, had backed off, marveling at how quickly her girl's hidden strength could be revealed if given the proper support – in this case the support of herself. She made a mental note to try and remind the 11 year old Piper of her gifts more often.

Since childhood Piper had always been more confident in the kitchen and as such, the more timid Piper only attributed her change in behavior to being back in her most familiar element. The older Piper didn't much notice the change in her younger self, but rather noticed the natural rhythm their movements had fallen into, and wished she could find staff so well coordinated to her at the club.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family had sat down at the rectangular table. As large as it was, the dining room table still barely afforded room enough for all six sisters, plus Grams, Chris, and the three little ones. Soon, the younger Piper brought out a baking pan full of pasta and little Phoebe's face lit up as she saw the dish. "Lasagna! My _favorite!_" she exclaimed as if Santa Claus himself had just leapt out of the chimney.

A warm smile spread across both adults pairs Phoebes and and Piper's faces at this. "I know!" replied the less experienced Piper. A confused look clouded the littlest Phoebe's eyes and Piper scrambled to cover her slip up. "Oh, uh, y'know - it's _everybody's_ favorite!"

"Not mine!" complained preteen Prue, ever contrary to Phoebe.

"But you still like it a lot, _don't you_?" pressed adult Prue as a guilty look shadowed her face at her child self's behavior.

12 year old Prue let out a small huff before shrugging. "Yeaaaah... I _guess!_ I was just saying that it's not -"

"Prudence! Be polite!" reprimanded Grams. The other adults at the table exchanged a chuckle at this – except Prue whose face flushed at her younger self's callous behavior.

She leaned over to whisper in her Piper's ear "I wasn't really this snotty – was I?"

Her sister grimaced. "Well..." she began, trying to figure a way to squirm out of the question.

"Okay, okay! You don't have to say it! I think I know the answer..." replied Prue as her 12 year old self sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes at a piece of wisdom Grams had tried to impart.

When the oldest Piper carried in a dish of Chicken Parmesan (a.k.a. Prue's favorite dinner) the preteen's sassy bravado was forgotten the moment she took a bite of the masterpiece. An involuntary "Mmmmm!" escaped her lips before she swallowed the bite and exclaimed "I think this might even be better than Grams'!"

Penny nodded. For the past few years she'd seen her middle granddaughter's talent for ingredients surface. She'd hoped it would someday be allowed to be applied to potions under tutaledge, but at the very least she saw a little gourmet girl in Piper. This meal, however, surpassed even those expectations for her adulthood. "Mmm... yes. Which one of you dears made this?" she asked both adult Pipers, careful to avoid using a name.

The women smirked with some pride at their Grams unhedged compliment. The older Piper answered. "Well, I... uh, _we_, came up with it when we were around 19 and our Gram..mother gave us a professional assortment of exotic spices."

"The secret is a pinch of cumin and a dash of lemon juice," added the younger Piper.

Little Piper stole a small bite of the chicken from preteen Prue's plate and as she chewed the dish exclaimed proudly, "I can taste that!"

"Hey!" shouted preteen Prue at her little sister's transgression.

Always happy to find a way to gain _any_ kind of attention from her oldest sister, which was best won by antagonizing her, little Phoebe leaned over and stole a bite of Prue's chicken off her plate as well. "Hey, YOU!" she growled at the girl.

Adult Prue squinted her eyes at the Phoebe of her time. "You little brat!" she teased under her breath.

Phoebe shrugged, "What can I say? Your reactions were _priceless!_" she replied mischievously. Prue was about to respond when a piece of salad flew by her face from across the table and landed with a splat against the wall.

The two little one's tiff had escalated into a low grade food fight during the sister's short exchange. All the kids were tossing small bits of food at each other now; their anger turned to playful battle.

A big glop of lasagna noodle sailed across the table, lading squarely on Chris's forehead before sliding down his cheek.

Chris, having grown up in a house stuffed full of many Halliwell children, let himself indulge in this familiar scene and joined in. He tossed a piece of bread, which flew over to bounce off of the oldest Phoebe's head.

"Ohhh!" she exclaimed in a playful growl before she tossed a handful of salad back at her nephew. Soon, the whole family was engaged in this wholesome little battle for a short time. That is, before the oldest Piper saw a grapefruit sized glob of lasagna hurtling toward her head.

"Whah-oh!"she exclaimed as she ducked, doing her best to ignore the reflex to freeze it. When Piper popped her head back up and stood up, she immediately whistled and fell into her 'mom' voice. "OKAY! Hold it!" she announced. Everyone at the table froze for a moment in a living tableau.

Slowly, the raised hands full of food lowered and Piper lowered back into her seat. It was at this point that Piper noticed that throughout the food fight Grams had been flipping through the small black book that she recognized as Penny's personal spell book. _Oh, don't tell me that she's pulling out that sibling rivalry spell!_

When Penny saw the incredulous look Piper was shooting her way she realized her granddaughter must be familiar with the booklet and quickly stuffed it away before defending herself. "How else am I supposed to keep three little girls in line?"

The rest of the family looked at Grams, confused by the seemingly random comment. Penny, who is used to quickly covering for odd events, abruptly changed the subject. "Who wants dessert? Because you're only going to get dessert if you clean this mess up!" A pause and no response from the little ones. "_Girls?_"

"Yes, ma'am," responded the girls in a mildly whiny tone. The whole family joined in picking up the stray food which now littered the entire dining room.

When they were almost finished, Grams suggested to the eldest Piper, "Why don't you go get that dessert?"

"Gladly." Normally she would have railed a bit against Penny treating her like a child, but she was happy to get away from picking diced carrot bit from the carpet shag.

A moment later Piper appeared with a tray full of golden brown cookies. "What are these?" asked adult Prue. They didn't look like any cookies she'd seen her Piper bake.

"Honey nut oatmeal cookies," replied Piper. "Processed sugar free. Just honey and natural sweetness – and best of all, no sugar rush for the kids! A little recipe I came up with after I had the boys," she said with a smile.

Little Phoebe pulled a face. "What kinda dessert don't got sugar?"

The 32 year old Phoebe smiled as she wiped a stray bit of marinara sauce from her childhood self's face before handing her a cookie. "Only the _best_ kind," she said in the silly voice she reserved for talking with children, "I promise."

"Okay..." agreed the girl, cautiously. She took a small nibble and moved it around her tongue a bit resembling a tiny wine connoisseur, before cramming the whole cookie into her mouth voraciously. A stuffed grin was slapped across the 8 year old's face before she declared, "This is awesome!" through a mouthful of cookie.

At this declaration the other 2 girls each took a cookie and chowed down, smiling as they tasted the healthy treat.

As the girls and the rest of the family finished their dessert, Chris got up and began clearing the table of the multitude of dishes. The older sisters, who had known the first Chris, exchanged quizzical looks at this never before seen behavior. Their expressions change to ones of warm amusement as Chris turned to the little ones.

"Hey girls? These are a lot of dishes even for me to carry... I could _really_ use a hand clearing them. Heck, I don't even know where they go – but I bet you've had plenty of experience. Would you girls mind helping me out?" he asked in tone only the adults could recognize as playful persuasion.

Little Phoebe and Piper nodded eagerly and young Prue replied with a genuine "Sure!"

"Awesome!" declared Chris as he pumped a fist as if he was truly jazzed and grateful for the assistance and shot them a smile. The whitelighter and the little girls exited shortly with armfuls of dishes. The sisters of 2007 again exchanged bemused looks at the young man's soft and silly rapport with the kids.

"Again. What a difference a better future made on our nephew!" exclaimed Paige.

"Yeah... it's good," replied older Piper softly, her distraction evident as her eyes lingered on the door her future son had just passed through. She was considering that as much as he was like the first Chris, the truth of the changed future was there in his softer edges and easier manner. A small smile crept across her face. _The future __**is**__ worth saving, _a voice echoed in her head as the muffled sounds of familial conversation murmured in the background.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

After dinner was cleaned up, Paige had brewed up some chamomile tea and the family had settled in the living room. The comfortable conversation was soon interrupted by the chiming of the ever present grandfather clock. Penny stood up and clapped her hands together. "Ok, girls! 8 o'clock, you know what that means!"

Little Phoebe shook her head emphatically. "Nu-uh! There was only seven chimes!_ I_ counted!"

"It was too eight chimes, Pheebs, don't lie!" rejoined little Piper.

"But I don't wanna go to bed!" she exclaimed, and snuggled into Chris' shoulder, as if he would stop her Grams from putting them to bed. Chris smirked. _Phoebe will be Phoebe_.

Grams put her hands on her hips and scrunched her eyebrows. "Phoebe Halliwell, you've had a big day and you need your rest if you're going to stay awake in school tomorrow!" Little Phoebe pouted.

He took the girl onto his lap. "You should listen to your Grams. I know she can be strict, but she knows what she's talking about," he intoned gently. "C'mon, I'll help you get ready for bed." He stood up, took her hand, and walked her upstairs.

"Goodnight! And thanks for showing me all that neat stuff," said little Piper before following her sister upstairs.

12 year old Prue, on the other hand, started to pour another cup of tea. "Now that the kids are in bed, we can talk about real grown up stuff. Like, did you ever find out who that man was, Grams?"

"Ha!" A laugh escaped Piper's lips despite herself. Adult Prue's eyes shot daggers at her but Piper just shrugged, a devilish smirk on her face.

"That's none of your concern, Prudence! And you know full when that this is your bedtime on weekdays as well," replied Penny, clearly not amused as this kind of impudence was becoming a daily occurrence from Prue.

"But-" Prue began to protest.

"March!" ordered Grams, pointing up the stairs. Preteen Prue set down her teacup with a pout and stomped up the stairs, passing Chris on his way back down.

"What's that about?" he asked as he settled back onto a couch.

"Oh, nothing, just my past reminding me of-" Prue was off by both Phoebes hushing her.

"Little Phoebe. She's eavesdropping," whispered older Phoebe. She then climbed the stairs authoritatively and pulled her little self out from behind a door. The 8 year old wore a look that clearly showed she's be caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar.

"Oops?" she said, turning to her charm to avert punishment.

Her older self just shook her head, all too familiar with her tricks, and gave a playful swat on the head. "C'mon... you know better. Back to your room or I'll sick Prue on you! Now shoo!"

The threat obviously struck home, as the girl quickly spun around and dashed back to her room, firmly shutting the door behind her, and the light immediately flicked off. Adult Phoebe made her way back downstairs to the rest of her family. She gave Grams an embarrassed grin. "Just let me apologize in advance for what I'm going to put you through as a teenager."

"Me too," replied the other Phoebe.

"Do I even want to know?" asked Penny, tired even at the thought.

"Probably not?" answered Phoebe, scrunching up her shoulders.

"So how about you, Piper. You're obviously talented. I do hope you followed your calling..." asked Penny, as Leo orbed in at the end of her question.

At the expectant look from all the Halliwells, Leo smiled. "Oh, no worries! I'm just here to check in. Make sure everything is alright!"

The older Piper patted the seat of an empty chair next to the couch she sat on. "Pull up a seat! We're just catching up with each other... so to speak."

"Um. Okay." He sat down next to Piper. "So, what were you talking about?"

"Oh, just the our future," she replied lightly.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Leo before her meaning fully sunk in. "Uh, what about _our_ future?" And with that his curiosity about the woman whom he would leave his calling for got the better of him.

35 year old Piper gave him a knowing smile. "I thought you might be just a bit curious about the home we've built together."

"Well, yeah, it's kind of hard not to be. And since the Elders are just going dust me anyway..."

"No harm, no foul? Yeah, you used that phrase a lot when we first started dating," said Piper, finishing his sentence. He nodded and smiled as he looked at this fascinating woman before him. "And I bet you're wondering how we managed to get away with the forbidden love thing, hm?" The rest of the family watched this scene as Leo leaned closer to Piper, enchanted despite himself. Some leaned closer as well, the ones who hadn't already lived the story, the ones who had merely been amused at the connection the two held no matter when or where.

"Among other things. I mean, how does Chris have whitelighter powers if I clipped my wings?"

"Well... you didn't. Not exactly. Or at first... what I mean is..." Piper tripped over her tongue for a moment before deciding that a brief version of their story would probably make the most sense. "Ok, so it all started when you were posing as our handyman..."

She continued a purposely detail light recounting of their life together, their struggles, their triumphs, and also just the kind of funny anecdotes a family accumulates through time. All the sisters threw in their own comments and a warm glow filled the evening as each sister shared small parts of the journey their younger selves still had ahead of them. It was both strange, yet comforting for the younger witches to 'reminisce' about their futures. For the older ones it felt good to reflect on how far they had come and how much they had built in their lives so far. Chris still didn't share much, but he also knew that the sisters from 2007 weren't going to have their knowledge erased, so he still had to be careful about what he said. As the night waned on, and the teapot was drained, the clock struck midnight.

"Oooh, where did the time go? We should get back to the Book and - "

Grams cut Piper off. "No, no. You still need to get some rest before you put yourself back into danger."

"No, Grams, we really should. Leo is still in danger and putting us down to bed is not going to save him," argued the older Phoebe.

"You'd be surprised, dear. Besides, I'm only suggesting a couple hours nap," insisted Penny.

"We feel fine Grams! Really," said Prue, who then yawned despite herself.

"I see that," answered a self-satisfied Penny.

"Grams. And this has all been very nice," said the older Piper, "Normally I would agree with you, but I can't just go to sleep when some all powerful demon is out there plotting to erase my husband, and therefore _also_ my sons, from history!"

Seeing that the girls could be just as stubborn at any age, Grams decided to use one of her oldest tricks to get the girls to unwittingly do as they should. "More tea, then?"

"Ok. But then to the book," said Prue.

"Of course, dear," said Grams genially before she got up to brew her special Passionflower infused tea, turning up the heater just a few degrees to enhance the comfortingly warm atmosphere. She soon returned and filled everyone's cups with the relaxation tea.

The conversation soon split between smaller groups of sisters as they exchanged small stories and memories. Soon, eyes drooped and one by one the women dozed off into a much needed slumber. Chris and Grams spent some time talking after this, he too was flagging and soon drifted off, snuggled into the younger Piper's shoulder. Grams decided to go upstairs and work out the exact astrological date in the entry her future self had made.

The older Piper and Leo were the last ones awake, lost not just in stories of their future but recounting anecdotes of Leo's childhood in the 30's, his time with Penny in the 60's, and Piper's own childhood. At some point, Leo had moved onto the couch to share it with Piper. It was strange to have her finish his stories of his mortal life when he had barely met this woman, but it felt good. Familiar. He had almost forgotten this feeling of a mortal connection – one he hadn't felt since he'd left his wife behind to join the war effort. Except there was something else about the energy that Piper unconsciously radiated toward him. The connection that his future self and Piper shared... he had the feeling that it was something deeper than he had even experienced with his mortal wife, let alone any other human being.

Finally, even Piper's eyes grew heavy and she drifted off. Her half asleep self, in the warped judgment of sleepiness, sought the comfiest haven it could find. In this case, that meant she laid her head to rest on Leo's chest.

Leo, for his part, wasn't sure what to do, but was enjoying the full feeling in his heart as she snuggled, sighed, and snuggled against him. He sat for a time, his eyes not really seeing the room around him, as he simply allowed himself to enjoy the feeling. He wasn't sure just how much time had passed before he was pulled back to prescience by the sound of footsteps coming down the creaky stairs.

It was Grams, with a notebook and astrology chart under her arm. She stopped and raised an eyebrow at the whitelighter when she saw Piper snuggled under his arm. Leo looked at Penny, embarrassed by her scrutiny, and gave her a pained apologetic smile before whispering "Sorry!" He knew that for her, Piper was first and foremost the little girl who was asleep upstairs and he himself wasn't still wasn't sure how to join the woman next to him with the little girl he had met just this morning.

"I suppose I'd better go," he said, finally and Penny nodded sarcastically. He orbed a pillow into the spot his body occupied as he simultaneously orbed out. Piper made a small noise at this before shifting and tugging the pillow to her chest.

Grams began draping blankets over her girls and made a mental note of the time. Two hours and she would wake them and would have to send them back into danger."Sweet dreams my dearests," she whispered before blowing out a candle on the coffee table in a gentle _whoosh._

* * *

**Next Time:** **We jump back into the action as... ****another Grams gets a visit from witches she never thought she'd meet, and things go from bad to worse as the sister's bold move proves disastrous!**


	20. 1993 And the Power Of 'We'

**Chapter 19: 1993 And the Power Of 'We'**

The gongs of the ancient Halliwell grandfather clock echoed through the manor, indicating the time was half-past two. Penny yawned as she pulled herself to her feet from the desk in her bedroom. It was time to wake her darlings – or should she say Charmed Ones – from their brief respite from what seemed an all too common experience for them: danger.

As Penny made her ways downstairs she hoped that she had prepared her girls well, even if she hadn't gotten the chance to guide them in the craft. She hoped she had prepared them as women to become the great witches they were destined to be, and that they hadn't had to suffer alone too much to become the fantastic women she saw sleeping before her. In this vulnerable, unconscious state she could see an echo of the little girls she was currently raising, and wondered how her future self had prepared them. How to guide them on the Wiccan path when they knew nothing of witchcraft and she would know nothing of their extraordinary destiny?

Penny sighed and shook her head slightly. _I must have done something right to have these magnificent girls before me..._ and a warm but slight smile graced her face as she gently shook the younger Phoebe's shoulder. "Wake up, sweetie," said Grams quietly.

Phoebe squirmed and scrunched up her face, eyes still closed. "Awww," she groaned, "Go away, Prue! I said I'd pick up your dry cleaning before noon..." she groaned.

"Phoebe... it's time to get up," said Penny.

"Grams? Wha...?" replied a still half-awake and obviously confused Phoebe. She scrunched her eyes closed and rubbed them with the heels of her palms, sleepily trying to remember where she was. When she opened her eyes and saw a vibrant but exhausted Penny hovering over her a lazy smile spread across her face. "Grams..." she rubber her eyes sleepily, "What time is it?" she asked as circumstances came back to her.

"2:30," replied Penny simply. "Now help me wake your sisters." Phoebe nodded and they split themselves between the pairs of sisters and Chris, gently getting each woman raised, and after Prue put a pot of coffee on, clearheaded.

Soon after, the older Piper sipped a cup of the black brew and turned an eye toward Grams. She kept her voice hushed for the little ones, but the tone held the bite typical of Piper when she feels she's been misled. "Just dinner and tea, huh? What did you do this time, Grams?"

"Piper!" replied Penny, falsely aghast at the accusation. "I certainly didn't use magic on you if that's what you mean! I simply... made the atmosphere conducive to what you needed – which was rest. No magic involved." Piper raised a skeptical eyebrow but let the subject drop. Truth be told, she felt 100 times better than she had just a few hours ago and was glad for it.

After taking a deep sip of her cup of black coffee, Prue raised the obvious question. "So, are you going to tell us just _when_ it is we have to got now? Or do we have to have a group hug first?"

"I see you never quite outgrow that attitude, missy!" replied Grams in a teasing fashion. "But yes, of course I will. Let's head upstairs."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

When the group had gotten upstairs Grams pulled the book, open to the page on Ninsun's Tears, across her lap as she sat on the couch. Her finger traced the gilded outline, following the symbols as it went, as she explained. "Each of these symbols read from right to left – or east to west – just as the cycle of the stars across the night sky. Follow them and you follow their significance in astrological charts. Each symbol represents either a constellation or a planet. Look..." she finished, cryptically inviting the girls, and Chris, to try their hand anew.

It was Chris, with the extensive knowledge of his previous self, that made the first breakthrough. "Look! It's Capricorn rising!" he noted as he pointed to the ram-like figure in the right hand corner. It leapt over a symbol of the sun.

Penny nodded. "Good, Chris."

"Ooh, I see it now! Duh!" exclaimed Paige. "Huh. Don't know how I couldn't have see a giant crab on the surface of Mars in there!" The other sisters looked at her blankly at this rather bizarre description. She pointed to the next sign over from Capricorn Rising. "The crab. It's Cancer. And by the degree he's tilted on the planet... I'm guessing about 25 degrees in Mars rising?" asked Paige.

At this explanation it was as if a veil had been lifted from the rest of the ladies eyes and they finally saw what their Grams had been talking about. The gilded border ceased being a random jumble of images and took on a meaning. The exact nature of that meaning was still unclear but the message was certainly decipherable. The girls all let out a low "Ooohhh," as they realized what they were looking at.

"27 degrees, actually, and I'm glad to see that your nap has done you all some good. I took the liberty of measuring the degrees of tilt of each sign while you were asleep. No need to take more time than needed, after all. I was just ensuring that my girls stayed safe."

"And we appreciate that Grams, but we really should be getting back to what we came back in time to do," said the older Piper.

"Yeah," agreed Prue. "So will you just tell us when it is that you found that thing, already?"

Penny raised an eyebrow at Prue, in a way that showed she was still not happy with that tone, but answered anyway. "From what I read, it looks like April 22nd, 1993. One pm, here in the manor."

"Ok, great! So all we need is a spell and we'll be on our way!" said the younger Phoebe brightly.

"Already done," answered Penny as she handed Phoebe a slip of paper with a spell written on it. "I _did_ have two hours."

The girls from 1999 seemed impressed by this. "You decoded all that _and_ wrote a spell in less than two hours?" said the younger Piper in some awe.

The girls from 2007 were obviously less than surprised at Penny's speed, considering the number of off the cuff solutions they'd had to come up with over the years. "Great," replied the older Piper, ready to get back to the task at hand. "So me, my Phoebe, and Prue go back, or, uh, forward to 1993 with Grams' spell. Paige, you should stay here and help protect our younger selves. Both sets." Paige nodded, a no-nonsense expression on her face.

"Wouldn't it be better for all of us to go? The more power the better, right?" asked Prue, a little off-put by her future sister's presumptions without anyone else's input. In the back of her head, she realized that she did this all the time with her sister's, and that this Piper was older and more experienced than herself, but that didn't stop Prue from at least voicing her mind.

"No, Prudence, we need some of you back here to protect the little girls in case Kaalaya sends another demon," answered Penny.

"Not to mention, I don't want to aggravate Grams' heart condition," added the older Piper. "I think explaining Paige would shock her system even more than seeing future us's." The other unspoken concern, that Prue might figure out her destiny, pained Piper for having to keep such a secret from her big sister and that pain vented through the clipped tone in Piper's speech. "So! The spell, Phoebe?" she stated, looking at the younger Phoebe.

"Ok, then," stated Prue simply. She was obviously out voted – and by witches who were probably wiser, and certainly more powerful. It was strange to think of Piper in those terms, but by this point, she had seen the power and experience of her future sister. Prue needed to voice her opinion, but could not argue Piper or Grams' points, so she resigned herself to being on board.

"Let me come along mom," said Chris, concerned.

"I'll be fine, Chris. This is the way it needs to be," replied the older Piper.

"But -" began Chris.

"No butts, mister. I need my peanut to keep an eye on his 10 year old mom, okay?" she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Chris sighed, reluctantly. "Okay. Just watch yourself."

"Hey, I'm still in your future, right?"

Chris nodded. Piper smiled at this. "So if this is all meant to be, I'll be alright. Right?"

Chris smirked at this, and although still not sure of this line of logic, nodded. He had no counterpoint to argue with.

Phoebe handed the slip of paper to Piper as Prue and the older Phoebe gathered on either side of her. "Wish us luck!" said Phoebe with a wary tone.

"Luck!" exclaimed her younger self. At the smirk she received from her future self, Phoebe just shrugged. "You asked!" she replied with a laugh. Her older self just rolled her eyes in an amused way.

"Be careful, guys," said Paige softly, in a tone tempered by real concern. Piper responded with a look which reassured Paige that they would be careful before turning back to the spell. All three women focused on the paper that Piper held and began to recite it out loud.

_Future's Past we seek to be_

_For this task, transport me_

_to April 22nd , Nineteen-ninetey-three_

Brilliant white lights swirled and enveloped the three women and quickly transported them forward through time. "Blessed be..." said Penny under her breath as she saw three of her girls disappear out of her guardianship. She had known these adult versions of her granddaughters only a short time, but the wonderful women they had grown in to had already stolen her heart. They may be grown, powerful witches, but her protective instincts would never let her stop worrying about her girls.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

As the bright lights cleared from their vision Prue, and the Phoebe and Piper from 2007 found themselves in a now deserted attic. All three knew better than to alert an unprepared Penny to their presence so they silently made their way downstairs to the main part of the house.

The rosy glow of late sunset drifted in through the windows of the manor, giving the seemingly deserted house the kind of warmth normally relegated to distant childhood memories.

For the Halliwell Manor, it seemed oddly empty until they finally heard a voice coming from the foyer. The girls peeked their head around a corner to find a 17 year old Phoebe wearing a Walkman and singing along with Soul Asylum's "Runaway Train" as she pulled on her studded leather coat and knee high Doc Marten boots.

"_So tired that I couldn't even sleep  
So many secrets I couldn't keep  
Promised myself I wouldn't weep  
One more promise I couldn't keep_

_It seems no one can help me now  
I'm in too deep  
There's no way out  
This time I have really led myself astray"_

Prue and Piper both smirked at their sister. Phoebe looked incredulous. "What?" she whispered, "I was alone – or – thought I was alone, anyway!" At Piper's raised eyebrows, Phoebe shrugged incredulously. "What? It was the style at the time!"

Prue suppressed a laugh. "For _thugs_, maybe!"

Just then, Grams walked into the room, interrupting any comeback Phoebe could have mustered. "Phoebe, will you stay for dinner tonight?"

Teenage Phoebe continued to sing to herself, unaware. "PHOEBE!"

Phoebe jumped. "What?" she asked in an aggravated tone as she pulled off the headphones.

Grams crossed her arms. "Dinner. For once. Maybe tonight?"

The three sisters watched as they saw teen Phoebe's walls instantly go up. Teen Phoebe sighed dramatically. She crossed her arms and replied in a tone that belied suppressed hostility. "What, do I have to spend every waking moment at home for 'family time'?"

Penny rolled her eyes. She'd been through this teenage rebellion once already with Prue, but Phoebe's attitude dwarfed her older sister's 2 years spent as a rebel. "Phoebe, you have spent all of one evening with your family in the past three weeks. That's _hardly_ every waking moment!"

"Whatever. I have plans. Ramona and me are going to a concert. We already bought the tickets!"

"Ramona and _I,_ dear," corrected Grams. "Grammar is important."

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Like I'm gonna be a writer or something! Tell someone who cares."

"Attitude, missy! Or else I may just have to take away your car keys-"

"Phhhbt!" exclaimed Phoebe. "Like I can't just hotwire it!"

Penny raised an eyebrow at this and placed her hands on her hips. "First. I don't even want to know where you learned that. Second, don't underestimate your Grams. I have ways of getting my way if I choose. So _don't_ test me."

Phoebe looked less than impressed by this as she shrugged her purse over her shoulder. "Sure, Grams. Jeez, you'd think I was a friggin' demon the way you treat me!"

The three sisters from the future exchanged a look as they saw a barely perceptible smirk on Penny's face. "I've faced worse than you, my darling," her voiced dripped with sarcasm, "and trust me, you're no demon."

Teen Phoebe did not catch the innuendo behind any of this, of course. A pair of footsteps could be heard approaching from the conservatory, and soon a 20 year old Piper and a 23 year old Prue joined Grams and Phoebe in the entryway.

"You sure about that?" the younger Prue asked her Grams, sardonically.

The future Prue shrugged at the 2007 Phoebe, as if to apologize. The adult Phoebe waved it off as she'd gotten over all that years ago.

"Ha. You're sooo witty big miss history major!" replied teenage Phoebe, before heading for the front door.

"Where are you going?" asked the younger Prue.

"Out," Phoebe answered simply as the door swung shut behind her.

"Kids!" exclaimed the 23 year old Prue.

Penny shared a smile with herself at that kind of comment coming from such a young woman, before turning to her girls. "Prue, Piper, how about a nice family dinner tonight? We haven't spent much time together recently since Piper, on top of her college classes, got her job at the bank and you've buckled down on your studies, Prue."

"I'd love to Grams, but..." began Piper, before Prue interrupted.

"But you know, I have a study group tonight..."

"And _I_ have... well, just paperwork to catch up on..." finiahed Piper, dejectedly.

"Oh... yes. Of course... I understand," replied Penny, trying to hide her disappointment over her granddaughters' decisions.

"Oh, Grams, NO!" exclaimed Piper. "It's not like we don't want to spend time together, it's just... we have separate live that..."

Prue picked up from there, "That we just... it's just that our timing, our lifestyles, don't really seem to mesh right now..."

Penny waved them off. "I understand girls. This is a time in your lives that you need to find yourself as people... just don't forget yourself. Don't forget where you came from in the mean time."

1993 Piper's face softened, coupled with younger Prue's face which was awash with guilt. "Of course we'd never forget Mom!" exclaimed Prue. Piper nodded in agreement.

"I know girls. I just meant that I want you to keep your family in your heart," replied Penny. "And help your little sister remember that too."

Prue let out a good-natured huff. "Quite the tall order you're asking there, Grams!"

Piper sighed, with a sympathetic smile. "But we'll do our best." A beeping suddenly emanated from Piper's wristwatch. "Oops! Should be at work in 15 minutes! Gotta go!" She snatched up her purse and quickly made her way out the door with quick wave of the hand.

Prue glanced at the grandfather clock as well. "Crap – I've got a meeting with a Professor. Bye!"

Penny glanced between her two girls. "Piper – Prue... when will you be back?" she called out.

"Dunno!" called back Prue as she unlocked her car. Piper was already long gone.

Penny sighed and ran a hand through her short brown hair, obviously frustrated. "What am I going to do with you, my darlings? Will you ever be ready for your destiny?"

"Oh, I think you can count on that," answered the 32 year old Phoebe, casually leaning against the stair's handrail.

"Phoebe!" exclaimed Piper at her sister's indiscretion. Penny could be very temperamental if not properly introduced.

Phoebe shrugged. "What? We've got the spell to bring back her memory. And _you_ basically did the same thing just yesterday."

"_So_ not the point!" answered Piper.

Penny, meanwhile, had spun on her heel in confusion. "Phoebe?" Her eyes darted between the three familiar, yet somehow unfamiliar, faces. "Prue? Piper? But you just left. How could you be here? Like - "

"Magic?" answered Prue, wryly. "I think you know the answer to that!" Then quietly to Piper she quickly whispered, "Quick – the memory spell!"

Penny was still not sure what to think of what was before her. The only thing making her hesitate was an incredible sense of Deja-vu. Like she'd seen something like this before. _But not this – whatever this was. _The woman who looked like her middle granddaughter suddenly, quickly recited a rhyme.

_Let Grams' memory be unbound_

_Let what was lost now be found_

_Of our visit to 1975_

_Make her memory come alive_

Or possibly a spell, Penny realized. But nothing happened. "Who are you people?" She asked of the three women in her home._ "And they are women, _she thought._ Older. _Mature. Not the young ladies currently under her care. But something about their demeanor told her they were, indeed, her girls. Still, the suspicious part of her brain knew demons could impersonate people for their twisted schemes.

"Wait... why didn't that work?" exclaimed Prue.

"I don't know," answered Piper.

"Maybe... memories work like our powers, kind of? Like, only one set, in one time? Or something?" said Phoebe grasping at straws.

"I said, who are you?" asked Penny in a harsher tone as she raised her hands in an obvious threat.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" cried Piper. "We're not demons..." she softened her tone so as to not alarm Grams further. "Who do we look like we are?"

Penny squinted her eyes suspiciously. "You _look like_ my granddaughters. But for all I know, you're shape shifters, or God only knows what else! You don't look exactly like them after all!"

"That's because... we're from the future. A future where we've gotten our powers. Found out we're witches," replied Prue.

"The Charmed Ones," added Phoebe.

"Right," replied Piper flatly with an all-business nod. "And if you'll just give us a chance to _prove_ it... maybe we can do what we came here to do and get _home_."

Penny lowered her arms just a bit. If these were warlocks in disguise they were obviously clever enough to have developed some sort of plan. Or, they just might be what she'd always hoped her girls would become in the future – powerful witches. She decided to test the waters. "Okay... well, if you _are_ from the future, then Prue, honey, I have to say... you have aged _far_ better than your sisters. I mean, don't get me wrong, you're all beautiful, but Prue you clearly look younger than either of your "younger" sisters!"

Prue just smirked at this, but Phoebe and Prue both looked indignant. Sure, maybe they were older than this Prue, but it's not like they didn't look great!

It was Phoebe, of course, that blew back. "Hey! I... _we_," she said, glancing at Piper, "I'll have you know, age just fine! We're just from further in the future than this Prue here. So, y'know – we _are_ older than her!"

Penny raised an eyebrow.

Piper's only response was, "Don't ask, it's complicated."

Penny visibly relaxed at this response. She still wasn't wholly convinced, but it was a start. "Okay, so say you are who you say you are... you wouldn't mind me using a potion on you to detect evil?"

"The wormwood or sage based variety?" Piper asked slyly.

Penny's eyebrow's shot up at this. "Well, I see I taught you well – if you're legit, of course."

"Of course," replied Piper, with a slightly sad shadow passing across her eyes, which Penny barely caught.

"Anyway, yeah, be our guest," added Prue. Phoebe nodded in agreement and the trio followed Penny to the attic, where she had a shelf of pre-brewed potions on hand.

"Over there," said Penny, motioning at the rug in the middle of the room. "I don't want demon blood on a new pair of shoes. Just in case."

The girls shrugged and moved to where Grams had indicated. Phoebe whispered out of the side of her mouth at Piper. "Maybe we shouldn't do this... what if Grams throws the wrong potion at us?"

"I think you should worry more about Grams knowing you questioned her potions ability after this!" replied Piper in a hushed tone.

Penny tossed a vial of green liquid at the girls' feet, which only resulted in shattered glass and an emerald stain on the rug. The second vial merely resulted in bleaching a spot of lavender into Prue's slacks – which made her none too happy, but it was better than being blown to bits.

"Satisfied?" asked Prue.

"Not quite yet," replied Penny. "Who was my husband?" she instantly launched into her interrogation.

Prue laughed. "Which one?"

Penny narrowed her eyes at Prue. "Funny. How about them all?"

The girls took turns naming them off.

"Allen"

"Jack"

"Armand"

"Sidney!" finished Phoebe.

"Okay. What's Phoebe nickname?" asked Penny.

"_Freebie_," Phoebe groaned, obviously loathe to repeat it. She sighed heavily. "And hey, thanks for bringing _that_ up!"

Penny nodded. "And Prue's favorite actor?"

Prue scrunched her nose. "Uh, let's see.. 1993? Well, I probably would have told you Tom Hanks to sound intellectual. _Schindler's List _and _Philadelphia_ coming out and all that... but to tell the truth, probably Robin Williams..."

The girls could see some sort of expression pass over Penny's eyes and they all thought they were making headway.

"And Piper," continued Penny, "If I were baking a souffle'... what is the ratio of egg whites to egg yolks that you blend together?"

"Trick question," she replied with a knowing smirk. "First off, a drop of egg yolk and that souffle is toast. Secondly, you fold in the egg whites, _never blend."_

"_Huh!_" exclaimed Penny, clapping her hands together. "I actually didn't mean for the blending part to be wrong... but..." The look in her eyes softened from one of suspicion to wonder. "You girls really are something!"

"So you believe us, then?" asked Piper.

Grams nodded. "I'm glad you're not warlocks, certainly. But I am worried that you seem to be flippantly hopping through time. I hope you've got good reason to be here, now. What was that you whispered about a memory spell?"

Phoebe snorted. "Well, your hearing is certainly still intact!"

Penny shot her a withering look. "Just how old do you think I am, my dear?"

Piper raised a hand, shaking her head. "Never mind! The spell... I cast it on you before, in the past, to restore your memories of our visit to you and mom in 1974. I just don't understand why it didn't work now."

"Well, is it still in effect in that time?" asked Grams.

Piper nodded. "Yeah, so?"

Penny gave Piper one of her looks. "Well, dear, you don't just erase and restore memories! They're like anything else in existence – they go somewhere. And if you don't carry them with you, then they go somewhere else. If my memory of a past event was removed and put wherever those memories go... I can't access them now. Another me has them in her possession!" finished Grams as if it were the most sensible thing ever.

"Anyone else get that?" asked Phoebe.

"I think so," replied both Prue and Piper in unison.

Penny smiled warmly at the three sisters. "Look at you... my girls, such beautiful women." She was struck immediately that the three had unconsciously migrated to the couch, comfortably cuddled together. Especially striking to Penny was the fact that Prue had her arm draped around Phoebe's shoulder. "I see you finally managed to bond as sisters. I've been so worried that you'd never be in a place that I could restore your powers."

The girls exchanged a glance that Penny noticed. But she knew better than to ask for knowledge of the future and pushed her questions to the back of her mind. "So, why _are_ you here?"

"We're here for something you find today," replied Prue.

"Ninsun's Tear. Ring a bell?" asked Piper.

Penny had just barely opened her mouth when a whoosh of hot air, smelling of sulfur, blew through the room. "Demon!" exclaimed Phoebe, recognizing the smell of the underworld.

The Halliwell women all leaped from their seats, eyes frantically darting about in an effort to anticipate from which direction the demon would appear.

**NEXT: A Fight, a saucy teenage Paige, and answers in China Town!**


	21. Big City, Little China Encounter

**Author's Notes**: Thanks again for the kind reviews! To anyone confused, please feel free to ask questions. Hopefully I can explain more clearly. :)

Last time:

_The girls exchanged a glance that Penny noticed. But she knew better than to ask for knowledge of the future and pushed her questions to the back of her mind. "So, why are you here?"_

"_We're here for something you find today," replied Prue._

"_Ninsun's Tear. Ring a bell?" asked Piper._

_Penny had just barely opened her mouth when a whoosh of hot air, smelling of sulfur, blew through the room. "Demon!" exclaimed Phoebe, recognizing the smell of the underworld._

_The Halliwell women all leaped from their seats, eyes frantically darting about in an effort to anticipate from which direction the demon would appear._

* * *

**Chapter 20: Big City, Little China Encounters**

"Grams, behind you!" shouted Phoebe. Penny spun around in time to see two demons, who looked like their flesh had been charred to a black crisp, each release massive fireballs in her direction. She was able to deflect the first one away toward the wall, but the second was just a hairsbreadth from landing in her gut. To her surprise, at the last moment it suddenly swung around to head for the demon from whom it had emanated.

She saw Phoebe withdraw her outstretched hands as Prue remarked, "Nice shot."

"Thanks!"

Meanwhile, Prue flung the remaining demon against the stairs. After it landed with a crack of splintering wood, Piper froze the beast, and swung around to face Penny. "You need any information out of him?"

Grams scrunched her eyebrows. "Uh, no, no," she waved her hand dismissively, "They're just lower level Clostri demons. Probably a revenge attack for the clan leader I vanquished last week. I have some extra potion to vanquish them for-"

"No need!" interrupted Piper casually as she turned back toward the demon, and flicked an outstretched hand at the it, blowing him into millions of pieces. She wrinkled her nose. "No clean up, but _yeesh_, it smells like rotten eggs in here!" Piper waved hand in front of her face as she turned back to face Grams. At the odd look on Penny's face Piper paused.

Grams' eyes held the shrouded expression of awe. That was a look Piper had only seen once before when she'd revealed that she and her sisters would become the Charmed Ones. Piper realized that as many times Grams had ever found out about their destiny when they traveled to the past she'd never actually witnessed them in action. And as good a handle as Penny had on her powers, her real power lay in her knowledge and her fighting spirit, not her inherent magical power.

Penny quickly snapped back to reality, and narrowed her eyes shrewdly. "You become the Charmed Ones, don't you?"

Piper and Prue just shrugged with small smirks, while Phoebe openly laughed. "Well... _yeah_!" she exclaimed as if it was the most obvious conclusion in the world.

Penny put her hands on her hips. "Then this must be important for you to go traveling to the past – _endangering_ the future and all," she said, as a lecturing tone crept into her voice.

"Yeah, I'd say stopping a new Triad from altering our destiny forever to be fairly important!" shot back Prue, lightly.

"Besides," offered Piper, "At this point we're pretty sure all these events are actually a part of the original timeline."

Phoebe nodded and shrugged. "Pretty much destined."

Penny nodded, taking in the information. "Well, you girls certainly are powerful, I'll give you that much. But that doesn't mean you have the knowledge of how dire messing with the past can be."

Piper sighed the breath of impatient. "C'mon Grams, we're family. The Charmed Ones... destined to do great good and ultimate battles and _yada, yada, yada._ Just trust our judgment for once?"

Prue locked eyes with Grams. "Besides, you just sent us here," her brows furrowed before she added, "The, uh, other ... another you, I mean."

"Well..." began Penny hesitantly, but her tone quickly brightened up, "I guess you have a point – if I can't trust me, who can I trust?"

Prue nodded curtly. "Exactly."

"So, what are you girls here for? Something quick I hope. As much as I'd love to find out about my girls' future, I'd hate to trying explaining you to yourselves!"

The three sisters stole a momentarily amused glance with each other before Phoebe raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Indeed."

"So," began Grams as she made her way up the stairs, "Ninsun's Tear, you say?" The sisters quickly made their way up the stairs behind her.

"Right. Ever heard of it?" asked Prue.

"Not an whisper of a rumor. But that's what the book is for!" said Grams as she stopped at the attic door, and then mumbled a quick verse under her breath. The attic door gently popped open and Penny swung it fully open.

"Ha! See? I always said it had to have been magically locked!" remarked Phoebe.

"Well, _yeah Pheebs_, we kinda all have," said Prue, rolling her eyes and whispered to the older Piper, "I thought you said she got smarter in the future?"

"HEY! Don't make me read your thoughts about Andy, missy. Cause I _so_ will!" replied Phoebe mischievously.

Piper held out a lecturing finger at her two chronologically younger sisters. "As _senior _most sister here - and believe me I'm not savoring that title - just remember I _will_ ground you both if you don't stop!" she finished with a chuckle.

Penny, who had been listening to this squabbling without comment was about to step in as she was so used to – hell - _tired, _of doing until she realized how good natured it all was. Like any sisters, her three girls would always argue, but what she was hearing now had none of the venom that her girls in 1993 spat at each other. Instead of intervening she smiled to herself as she pulled the book open.

"Probably not in there, Grams," advised Piper. "Our spell sent us to the day you made the entry about Ninsun's Tears."

"You figured out my astrological hieroglyphs? I'm so _proud _of you!" said Penny.

Phoebe shrugged. "Uh, yeah... we did. So to speak."

Penny, who hadn't caught the evasiveness of Phoebe's phrasing, continued in her curiosity. "So, I find this...?"

"Totem."

"Right, so I find this totem today, hmm? Well then, girls, looks like you'll just have to follow me through my chores today."

"I always did wonder what Grams did all day. I mean, how did she make ends meet with no job?" remarked Phoebe.

"Oh, you'll see. Now that you know about magic, that is." replied Grams. "Our first stop would be China Town. Just as soon as I..." she stooped down to open a floorboard and pulled out a few vials of a potion which glowed a faint purple. "... get my bartering chips for the day." She stuffed them in her leather handbag and zipped it shut.

"What are those?" asked Prue.

"Potions," answered Penny.

Prue rolled her eyes. "Obviously. But what for? Are you expecting more demon attacks?"

"Hardly," said Grams. "It's not like they happen every week, darling!"

"I wish," replied Prue bitterly. Penny looked at her granddaughter, as this hint of their future was unintentionally dropped before her.

"It looks like a binding potion of some kind. Though, by the color I would say more like a... is that a power polarity switching potion?" asked Piper, breaking the silence.

Penny smiled at Piper. "Good eye! I see you really know your stuff. I always knew you'd take to potions like you had to cooking."

"So what are you going to do with it?" asked Phoebe.

"Barter," replied Penny simply. At the girls' blank looks she continued. "Consider it like a black market for the magical world. Knowledge is coveted even more than power, and certainly money, in the magical community. Your grandfather, rest his soul, being the hippy that he was didn't invest in much of any life insurance, and trying to keep you girls protected against the demons who have come after throughout your lives... well, it's a full time job. This was the best way to keep you girls both safe and well fed. I brew potions, or hunt down artifacts, or trade for them, in exchange for cash. Today I'm selling this potion to a witch in China Town."

"Huh! Too bad I didn't know about that option in my unemployed days! I could've actually paid for my clothes instead of stealing Prue's!" remarked Phoebe with a chuckle.

* * *

The sisters and Penny had soon made their way, via Grams' old station wagon, to China Town to find Penny's "contact" for the exchange. The three women trailed behind Penny as she made her way down a couple blocks, finally coming to a stop at non-nondescript storefront. Penny rapped her knuckles on the door four times in a distinct pattern before slipping a single flower petal under the door. Prue gave Grams' a look and was about to ask before Phoebe let out an exclamation.

"Paige?"

A teen aged girl with long black hair, dressed in a an olive green army coat, draped over a black tank top, shot Phoebe a look. "Yeah. Do I know you?" she replied in a huff, as she opened the door to the smoke shop next door.

Phoebe scratched the back of her neck absently in an embarrassed motion. "Uh, I, uh..."

Piper raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms in the best acting job she could muster. "We work at Harding High. Shouldn't you be in school?"

Paige snorted out a huff of air in amusement. "Shouldn't _you_ be playing shuffle board or something?" Paige rolled her eyes and dismissed them as she entered the doorway and swung the door shut behind her.

Piper's mouth hung open in appalled surprise. "OH! She is SO hearing about this when we get back..."

Phoebe smirked. "Not any worse than I was at that age..."

Prue shrugged. "That _is _true," she remarked in mock contemplation. Prue ducked as Phoebe swatted at her head playfully.

"Girls," invoked Penny. "Quiet down. Mr. Quan only welcomes business here."

The three women quieted themselves as the sound of wind chimes filled the room and the silhouette of a man shown through the Chinese paper room divider. A solemn voice filled the room even before his form could be seen. "Penny – do you have it?"

**Next Time: The sisters finally have a direction for ending Kalaaya's attack.**


	22. The Bargain

**Author's Notes: **

**To recap, since this info is a little spread out now: The demon Kalaaya, who is responsible for this whole mess, is planning to use the rite of the Avidaivad to reform the Triad with evil magical beings from 2 other time periods. To do this, he needs to eliminate Leo from all existence, leaving the past Charmed Ones to fall to a lesser demon in the altered history. To erase Leo from all existence Kalaaya must use the totem called "Ninsun's Tear", which will bind his and other demon's magic across time and space, and the rearrange the universe – a process so dangerous it could destroy time/space. Piper and Phoebe (2007) and Prue (1999) have now gone to 1991, when Penny made the "Ninsun's Tear" entry, to retrieve it before Kalaaya does.**

_**Last Time:**__"Girls," invoked Penny. "Quiet down. Mr. Quan only welcomes business here. Not games." The door to the herbal shop swung open with a long creaking squeal with no apparent hand guiding it._

_The three women quieted themselves as the sound of wind chimes filled the room and the silhouette shadow of a man shown through the Asian paper room divider. A solemn voice filled the room even before his form could be seen. "Penny – do you have it?"_

* * *

**Chapter 21: The Bargain**

Penny's demeanor shifted into what Prue could only deem a business-like approach. "That depends. Do you have what I asked for?" The sisters hung back behind Penny, unsure of what their role was in this, if any.

An elderly Asian man shuffled out from behind the paper screen. He moved slowly, and his wrinkled skin looked as this as paper, but his posture was still straight and his movements seemed to be backed up by a hidden strength that belied his elderly appearance. With a knowing smile on his face he reached into a pocket inside the brown corduroy coat he sported. "Of course. But first, I must ask, who are these women who accompany you? I sense great power. But is this a power I can trust?"

"We're Halliwells," answered Prue matter-of-factly, hoping that would be answer enough.

He met Prue's eyes with a disturbingly piercing gaze. "That is no guarantee of good intentions. To be sure, most of your family are forces of good, but good can be corrupted. As a young man I knew others of the Warren line." His gaze now fell on to Phoebe and she felt a shiver go up her spine at his appraisal. "You should know best, yes? Of course, the last time I sold anything to you, you went by Pearl Warren. Tell me, do you still sell your potions to any mortal with a few pennies to spare?"

Phoebe cringed a little at this. "That was a past life. I've grown – promise!" she reassured him with an uncomfortable smile.

Penny raised her eyebrows at the mention of her notorious Aunt Pearl. "_So that's where Phoebe gets that rebellious streak," _she thought, but quickly came to her granddaughter's defense. "They're the Charmed Ones, Quan."

This seemed to be all she needed to say, as Mr. Quan's manner immediately eased. He regarded Phoebe again, this time a twinkle in his eye. "Ah, how things change. I see you must have paid your karmic balance to receive such a great power... and responsibility. Your cousins, or sisters now I see, did you a great service releasing you from that life," He regarded all three before adding, "In which case, you are all welcome here." He bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you," replied Piper simply, suddenly reminded of the wise old master she had switched bodies with last year.

Mr. Quan finally withdrew his hand from his coat, which held a slim leather case. He unclasped it's three buttons slowly as the three sisters unconsciously leaned forward just a bit to get a look at what mysterious object he was offering Penny for such a powerful potion. His slim fingers grasped something inside the case and withdrew a set of what looked to be yellow rectangular papers. With a fluid motion he pulled a pen from where it was perched on his ear and looked at Penny.

"Is it alright if I post-date this for next week? I'm waiting on a payment from a gypsy healer in town that I supply." It was a checkbook!

"Of course. But just remember it's Halliwell with four L's, not two, this time," she replied, and Mr. Quan began scribbling.

Phoebe slumped down as she saw what the paper was and leaned over and whispered to her sisters. "Was anyone else expecting something... I dunno..."

"Exotic?" answered Prue with a smirk. "Yeah, I kinda was." Piper gave them both a tilt of the head that said she had been thinking the same.

As Penny and Mr. Quan haggled over prices for her magical services, the Charmed Ones wandered about the store, eyes drifting across a wide variety of exotic goods. Some they recognized as magical reagents, others like a figurine of a what looked to Phoebe like a chicken doing the Hokey Pokey, were simply baffling.

As Penny wrapped up her business the women were visibly disappointed that this didn't seem to be the stop they needed to make to find the Ninsun totem. After confirming that the items on display were the only wares he had the four women stepped outside the store. Turning her eyes from the sidewalk to her family as they walked, Piper questioned Penny. "Are you sure there aren't any other magic-related errands for today, Grams? Like, a coven meeting or something...?"

Penny shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Piper."

Piper sighed. "I just don't get it," she began but was suddenly knocked to the ground as she ran into someone on the street. The other person also was knocked to the pavement.

"Ouch," remarked Piper matter-of-factly. She was so used to be knocked around by now a small fall hardly phased her any more.

"Sorry, I wasn't watch-" the other person began before meeting Piper's eyes, and the apologetic tone immediately flattened. "Oh, its _you _people again," said teenaged Paige curtly. She quickly began gathering the indie rock magazines that had been in the paper bag she was carrying.

"Yeah, I hope you didn't break my geriatric old hip," shot back Piper sarcastically, but despite herself she still began to help Paige gather up the belongings sprawled across the pavement.

Paige waved Piper off. "I'm fine lady, don't worry about it. I got it," she said. As she quickly reached out to take the magazine that Piper had picked up, Paige's sleeve shrugged up, revealing a simple charm bracelet. A teardrop shaped stone bearing a red symbol dangled from it. As Piper's eyes locked on to the trinket, Paige tugged at the magazine in Piper's hand, the motion knocking loose the hidden prize inside it's pages - a pack of cigarettes – and sent them skidding across the pavement. "Shit!" Paige scrambled to grab the cigarettes before the odd adults saw them.

"Where did you get that!" exclaimed Piper.

"None of your business," replied Paige hotly. Internally, she winced. Her parents were gonna kill her if they found out she was smoking.

"Can I just have a closer look at it?" asked Piper, which got her sister's and Penny's attention.

Paige gave her a strange look. "They're just some off brand... If you want to bum a ciggy, why didn't you just say so?" '_Maybe I'm in the clear if I play this right," _thought Paige.

"You smoked, Paige!" exclaimed Phoebe. "I mean, smoke. You smoke? Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Uhh, maybe 'cause I don't _know _you?" she replied sarcastically. "Hell, I don't even remember seeing you around school!"

"Maybe if you attended a little more often you would," covered Prue deftly, before giving Phoebe a look that practically shouted '_Get it together!'_

Piper, meanwhile, gave Paige a strange look back before realization dawned on her face. "Oh! No, no, no... not the cigarettes. I think I know where you got those," she remarked, a little disapproval seeping into her voice. "I meant the bracelet. Can I see it?"

Paige's feistiness was tempered by the strange behavior of the women, so she capitulated quickly. "Huh? Oh, yeah, sure, I guess..." she lifted her wrist, pulled back the sleeve to show Piper the charm bracelet.

All four women surrounded the teenager, eying what she thought was simple jewelry. "Look at that!" said Phoebe.

"The symbol," said Prue simply. Indeed, around the young Paige's wrist dangled a grape sized piece of polished stone, inscribed with the very same Sanskrit symbol that they had seen in the Book of Shadows in the entry about Ninsun's Tears.

"What?" asked Paige, wary of the attention suddenly garnered on her wrist. She quickly shoved her hands in her coat pocket, hiding the bracelet. "Look, you got to see it, okay? I've got places to be," she finished stuffing her purchases into the paper bag, eager to be on her way.

"Seriously, where did you get that?" insisted Piper.

"Nowhere, okay! Geez, what are you my parents?" Paige protested, trying to step around the women, but they quickly formed into a human wall, blocking her path. She huffed and spun on her heel, determined to go _somewhere _away from these crazies.

"Hold on this instant!" commanded Penny in the kind of voice Phoebe and Prue had been all too familiar with as teenagers. Paige's stride was broken for just a moment before she took off again.

"Answer our question or we'll tell your parents about you skipping school," threatened Piper loudly. "We know the Matthews, your parents, quite well," she lied.

Paige froze in her tracks. _"Damn._" She turned around and crossed her arms. "I got it at that shop you just came out of, okay?"

"There's no way Quan would have sold that to a teenager," Penny remarked quietly to her granddaughters. "Mortals can't even open the door to the shop, and she doesn't look like any demon or witch I've ever see-"

"She's our sister, Grams," interrupted Piper, softly.

Penny's eyes widened. "You don't mean...she's Sam and Patty's little girl?"

Prue and Piper nodded and Phoebe smirked. "She's got the Halliwell spitfire spirit, huh?"

Grams nodded, considering the girl standing before her. "Just tell me she's settled down in the future, like you girls!"

"No worries, Grams. Shes got a great head on her shoulders in the future," replied Prue.

The teenaged Paige waved a hand at the strange women. "Uh, hello? Are we gonna finish this third degree or can I just go and let you mutter amongst yourselves?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" replied Piper, her voice grumbling in annoyance. "We're getting there. So you said you got it from the shop here. How?"

Paige shifted uncomfortably. She didn't know what it was about these women but she got some kinda vibe. _"And mostly they're as annoying as my family at the moment..." _She sighed moodily. "Look – I stole it, okay? It was no big thing... I can give it back and you can go and humiliate me in front of the owner if you like. I've been through worse!"

Phoebe smiled shrewdly, thinking back to how she would have reacted at that age. "Well, yeah... We could do that. _Or,_ you could just hand it over to us."

Paige narrowed her eyes defiantly. "What is this, a hold up now?"

"More like an intervention," answered Phoebe. "Trust me, you'll thank us in the end. And since we just happened to have been looking for that item today, you can think of it as a good deed."

"And if don't?" asked Paige, mostly as a bluff. She didn't like being pushed around. Especially by adults.

"Well," said Piper slyly, "like I said, we can always tell your parents about your ditching school. And the cigarettes, too..." She raised an eyebrow. "So whats it gonna be?"

Paige huffed a final teenaged bit of attitude before giving in. "Aaallright. Here, take it!" she slipped the charm bracelet off her wrist and flung it at Piper who caught it deftly.

"Thanks. And uh, Paige, can I ask you a question."

Paige shrugged. "Now you ask for permission?"

"Right. Well, I was just wondering, just what was it that made you steal this, anyway?" Piper asked with genuine curiosity.

Paige avoided eye contact with the woman who was now asking kinda personal questions. Like she knew her. This caught Paige off guard and the wall she kept up at most adults was partially down. "Well, uh to be honest?" she shrugged, staring at her boots, "I don't really know. It was weird... I just went into the place cause it reminded me of that shop, y'know... in that movie, 'Gremlins?' I saw that old chinese guy go in and I thought it'd be somethin' to do. Mostly, it was boring, and kinda weird, but that charm.." she shrugged again. "I dunno... it was like..." she trailed off. "_They'll think I'm crazy._"

"Go ahead," encouraged Phoebe gently.

"Nah... it's stupid. You'll just think I'm making it up."

"You'd be surprised what adults will believe if you just let them listen," replied Prue. "I know I was when I was your age."

Still uncomfortable, Paige finally let the words tumble quickly from her mouth. "Ok, well... I dunno, I just, it was like something drew me to it. Like, almost like there was a voice? Or something? But I didn't have the money and it was like I was supposed to have it so I, y'know... took my five finger discount!" she laughed nervously, "But it's the first thing I've ever stolen, you believe me right? I'm not a bad kid I just, there's things.."

Phoebe waved her off. "No need to explain. I think we got the answer we needed," she smiled at Paige warmly.

Paige looked at the four women for a moment. "Can I just ask you guys something?"

Phoebe shrugged. "Can't see why not. Shoot."

Paige tilted her head and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "How do you _really _know my name?_"_

"We told you," began Piper.

"We work at your school!" finished Phoebe mischievously.

Paige just game them a strange look. "Uh, so I guess I'll just see you around..."

"Sure!" said Phoebe. As the teen Paige shrugged and turned around to go on her way, Phoebe nudged Grams. "Should we erase her memory?"

Grams shook her head. "No, I don't think so, you didn't reveal anything. I would be surprised if she remembers this at all after some time. And if what you, and _me-"_

"You and _I_," corrected Phoebe playfully.

Penny gave her a look. "Glad to see you finally started listening to your lessons."

"Well, as it turns out, I _did _become a writer," she replied with a shrug and a smirk.

"But as I was saying, if the other me, oh and _you girls _of course, think that this was all pre-destined then I see no need to erase her memory. Besides, time is of the essence - we should get you home!" finished Penny.

* * *

The group were soon back at the manor, where the Halliwell women gathered back up in the attic, safely hidden from the 1991 set of sisters, should they come home unexpectedly. As Prue lit up a circle of candles and Piper and Phoebe discussed a spell to return them to 1983, Grams regarded the future versions of her girls.

_'They really are the Charmed Ones...' _she smiled inwardly, reassured that she had indeed done a good job raising these girls alone. '_Patty must be so proud.'_

When the preparations were done the girls gathered around Penny and she hugged all three at once. "You all hold yourselves with such grace...your mother must be so proud of you," she said softly, adding, "even more proud of you than she already is now."

As the group hug broke up Prue met Grams' eyes. "You talk to her in this time?"

Penny smiled. "Oh! Well, of course dear! Not often, but when I want her input on how she wishes you girls be raised she always gets a summon. And believe it or not, some of the more creative punishments came from Patty herself," she finished with a laugh.

"Tell her we miss her," replied Prue.

"And love her," added Phoebe.

"Of course, my dears," reassured Grams. "Now, get back to saving the world, hm?"

The sisters gathered in the circle of candles and began to recite the spell.

_Future's past we have seen_

_Task fulfilled, transport we_

_Back to where we should be_

_In the year Nineteen Eighty-Three_

The three sisters were quickly swept away by a swirl of white smoke, leaving Penny alone in the attic. She sighed wistfully as she set the book on a nearby table and opened it to a blank page. The afternoon remaining afternoon passed quickly as she added the entry for Ninsun's Tear and cross referenced a few astrological charts to mark the date in page margins. A soft crimson glow shown through the attic window by the time she sat down and made short work of creating a memory spell, but was soon interrupted by the sound of bickering voices floating up through the pipes from downstairs. Penny sighed. '_At least I got to know this sibling rivalry would end for one afternoon!' _she thought before reciting the spell in her hand. She then burned the piece of paper the spell was written on and as the paper curled into black carbon the memory became hazy. The memories quickly crumbled into nothingness, just as the ashes of the paper did, and Penny found herself suddenly confused.

"_What was I doing up here?" _she thought. Another shout rang from downstairs and she heard the kitchen's back door slam shut. Penny sighed. '_Will they ever get past this?" _she wondered to herself as she blew out the candle. Somehow the swirling dance of the smoke from the extinguished candle reminded her of something she just couldn't put her finger on. Something at the tip of her brain.

She shook her head and decided to let the thought drop. '_If its important I'll remember it eventually_,' she concluded as she closed the attic door behind her, reciting a spell under her breath to lock it magically.

**Coming Up: Sometimes battle plans mean playing it fast, loose, and dangerously.**


	23. Breakthrough

**A/N: **_Holy Cow! I've actually updated! All I can say is that landing a job as a Director of Group Events (back in 2008) meant a lot less personal time (aka fanfic writing time). I don't know how Piper fit demon killing into her schedule ;) Anyway, I promised I would finish this, and better late than never. I'm close to a conclusion, though not the original one I had thought up. But that was almost 3 years ago, and I don't totally recall what it originally was. Meanwhile, I hope to also go back and fix any_

_typing mistakes (and I know there are a lot of them) in earlier chapters._

_Finally, I'll just say that I appreciate the reviews and favorites of this story in the last year or two, especially when it seemed clear that it would remain forever unfinished. Hopefully I can get this done in return for such kind gestures. Anyway. On with the show!_

**Chapter 22: The Breakthrough**

With a swirl of white light the 3 women returned to 1983, surrounded by a group of expectant witches.

"SO? Did you get it?" asked Paige in a rush. "I mean..." she caught herself, "did everything go okay?"

The elder Phoebe smirked. "Smoothest jump so far, actually."

Prue nodded matter of factly. "And we have the amulet."

"_Nice _attitude, by the way," the older Piper remarked at Paige.

Paige cocked her head quizzically. "Uhhh?"

The Phoebe of Paige's time gave her a wry grin. "You ever remember four women, one older than the rest? Giving you a hard time for stealing... and smoking? In China Town when you were about 15? They confiscated your bracelet?"

Paige pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment, squinting her eyes shut tightly before moving her hand to the back of her her neck, rubbing it a bit. "Well!" she barked in a bright laugh, accompanied by an embarrassed smile, "That was you guys, huh?"

The three sisters nodded, with Piper's smirk especially self-satisfied.

"Huh! Hadn't thought about that in years! Well! You know... youth and all..." At the amused look from her sisters Paige continued to try to conclude the subject she was trying to drop. "I suppose I shouldn't have thought I'd get out of this whole convoluted thing without some embarrassment. Look... Yeah, I know, I was an pain in the ass teen. And I'm sorry. Okay? Can we just drop it?"

Piper let out a bark of a laugh at this. "Hell!" she shrugged,"I was just hoping to give you a little bit of a hard time. But I'll definitely take the apology!" Piper dug the bracelet amulet out of her pocket and tossed it at Paige, who caught it deftly.

Paige dangled the tear drop shaped stone before her face. "Never thought I'd see this again. _Heck_. Never even knew why I was drawn to it! Or why I didn't recognize it in the book..." As a mutual silence fell across the group, Paige cocked her head. "Sooo... now what do we do?"

"Well..." began Penny, as she leaned her left hip against the loveseat and crossed her arms. "As I see it, this Kaalaya may or may not know that we've put an end to his plan to end Leo's mortal days, so..."

"Odds are that either he's going to act on his final plan. Or against us," filled in Paige.

Penny nodded in approval. "Very good."

Paige shrugged the compliment off with a smirk. "Well, you do this long enough..."

The older Piper, not so interested in the exchange, pushed on. "Okay, so which?"

Chris piped up at this. "Well, given that he can only open so many portals in so many time frames-"

"-it stands to reason that he probably has no clue if his little scheme worked. For certain, at any rate," finished Prue. The others nodded their agreement.

Patty shot upright from her relaxed position. "The first thing we need to do is destroy this... thing!" She gestured at the tear shaped stone.

Chris nodded. "We've got the one that he wants. Probably the only one he can locate, or else Grams wouldn't have been the first to note it in the book. Unless she only did that because you came back... or forward? Whatever. Came to get it."

Both Pipers brought fingers to their temples and began to rub. The elder of the two held up her free hand. "Just... yeah." She shook her head. "Sorry. Go ahead."

Prue added her assent to what Chris was saying. "So - once we destroy it, no ritual."

"And no ripping apart of the universe," finished the younger Phoebe.

"And then we just have his demon ass to vanquish," added Paige.

The older Piper dropped her hand from her head, crossing her arms, brows furrowed. "Right. But that still leaves the question of how we vanquish a demon who isn't here. Or - anywhere."

"Well..," began Prue, ever trying to be the problem solver."We did vanquish that one demon, Abraxas, who was in his own reality bubble." She squinted for a moment. "At least... that's what it seemed like. Right?" She looked at all the other sisters, who each nodded.

"So, we... summon him somewhere? Like that park where we vanquished Abraxas?" asked the younger Piper.

The older Piper nodded. "Yeah. I think so. Except not that park. The Manor is actually the spot of our greatest power."

Penny nodded as well, seeing where this was going despite not knowing exactly what the incident they were describing was.

"Yes! The Nexus! If you were to perform the Triad ritual yourselves... well - three of you anyway - yes! Not only would you have the power to destroy the amulet, but probably enough to break this damnable demon's little pocket universe once and for all! You've been to each point in time yourselves – one of you at least – so it should meet the requirement. In theory, of course," she waved her hand about and shrugged as as she said the last.

Chris leaned back, rubbing his fingers through the back of his hair. "Is that really a good idea Grams? I mean, that much power in the hands of anyone..."

"This from the guy who made us gods?" shot back Paige with a smirk.

The three sisters from 1999 all opened their mouths simultaneously, looking like a group of landed fish, before shutting them, realizing they probably wouldn't get an answer anyway.

Chris shrugged. "Hey, I'm not saying that was a good idea. Looking back, that is."

"Well, I think its the only option we've got at the moment," said the older Piper.

"But a ritual meant to make the Triad? Couldn't that turn us evil? I mean, its an evil ritual, right?"

Chris shook his head. "Its a power grab – not evil per se. Like you guys always said, its not the power that corrupts the person, its the person that corrupts their powers."

"We taught you that?" asked Piper. "What, do we just become walking aphorisms in the future?"

Chris chuckled. "Not quite like that. But yeah, you did. That and seeing both possible futures for Wyatt... I know its true."

Penny nodded. "I may have only spent a day with you girls, but I know you can handle it and do whats right – which is destroy that power forever once its in your hands. Besides, Kaalaya is bound to send someone after you once he figures out we have that totem. Its the best plan we've got."

"So we need to act fast," agreed Prue, the third matriarch of the Halliwell line in the room. "But if the demon needed two beings from other... classes or levels or whatever, to make this work, wouldn't we need the same thing? Or the good guy's version anyway?"

Paige raised an eyebrow sardonically. "I think we have that."

The older Phoebe, following her line of thought, nodded and smirked. "Witch, Whitelighter, Elder?"

Paige returned the smile. "Exactly."

**Next Time: Interrogations lead to unlocking the ritual that could save, or destroy them all.**


	24. Prey And Information

**Chapter 23: Prey and Information**

"Girls..." began Penny. "The Elders aren't at anyone's beck and call. They don't just come when you ask."

"We aren't just anyone," replied Paige with a smirk. Penny raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

"Besides. I'm half Elder. We don't need them," added Chris.

The others, not from 2007, gaped or looked puzzled for a moment before Penny raised a hand, shaking her head. "Never mind. It's not like we're going to remember the explanation anyway." Prue and the younger Phoebe shrugged, realizing the truth of her statement, but Piper shot straight up. "Wait! What? But I thought you said Leo-"

Chris, for his part, knowing that they would be erasing their memories decided to concede the information. "Dad was an Elder when I was conceived."

"Leo?" exclaimed the younger Piper. "One of those douch-"

"Yep," answered the older Piper. "And believe me, at the time I was about as happy with him as you are with the Elders in your time."

"Then how - why did you-"

"Don't ask. Long story," Piper answered to herself.

"_Any_way," interceded Prue. "How do we know that this will work? I mean, we've got 6 full blooded witches, but only a half-whitelighter and a half-elder."

The older Piper sighed. "We don't," she answered in unison with Grams.

Piper cocked her head as Penny put her hands on her hips. "But its the best shot you have, girls."

Piper shot Penny a lopsided grin with a raised eyebrow. "Just what I was thinking." At the image of Piper mirroring Grams the faces of everyone in the group took on an odd, mostly amused, expression. Piper's eyes darted back and forth a moment. "What?"

Immediately the group broke eye contact with the older Piper, many waving her off, except for the younger Piper looked like she didn't know what to think. "Nothing!" replied Prue with a smirk.

"Okay girls, lets focus. If we're going to do this we need to be careful," continued Grams. "Messing with things on this kind of cosmic level is nothing to be flippant about."

"We know, Grams," answered the older Phoebe, who shrugged at Penny's look. "I'm just saying – we've been at this for nearly a decade now."

"And I've been at this for five," shot back Penny.

"Okay, _really _not the time to argue, okay?" interjected the younger Piper, trying to come to a peaceful conclusion.

The rest nodded agreement, except for Grams, who simply shrugged. "You're right. But that doesn't change my point."

"Right," replied Paige. "So, we'll make sure that we reverse the rite after we've defeated the demon."

"Do we even know if thats actually possible?" asked Prue.

Penny smiled. "Of course, dear. Anything is possible with magic!"

Prue shook her head. "Yeah, of course. I remember the last time you told me that."

Grams wore a warm smile as well. "Its as true now as it was then."

Prue frowned. "Tell that to Andy."

"Right," interrupted the younger Piper, still trying to bring some peace to this little burgeoning argument. "So, lets get to this before Kaalaya realizes whats going on?"

Penny nodded. "Yes. We'll need the spell, though."

"And we get that _how_?" asked the younger Phoebe.

"Summon one of his minions," answered the older.

The sisters from 1999 looked a bit take aback, but Penny and Chris merely nodded. "Precisely."

"Where do you keep the crystals in this time?" asked Paige.

Grams pointed to a small credenza near the attic door. After Paige had set up the crystal cage the Charmed Ones of 2007 stepped back, joined hands, and exchanged looks. "The usual, and then a truth spell?" asked Paige. The other two nodded before all three joined hands and began the chant.

_Demon we seek_

_Compelled to come_

_Into the attic_

_We three summon_

_Appear in our cage_

_And nowhere else_

_Your demonic rage_

_Your will be squelched_

A swirl of flame announced the arrival of their demonic tattle-tale inside the crystal cage, at which point they recited the truth spell and a white glow swelled around everyone, including the demon, for a moment. He was a small, but powerfully muscled man, clad in the typical demon garb of black leather and rags, his short blonde hair disheveled and stained. "How do we do the Avidaivad?" demanded Paige.

"I know what you've done! I won't-" began the demon.

"Wrong answer." Paige threw down a crystal shard, sparking the cage, and the demon let loose a howl of pain.

The three sisters from 1999 exchanged looks, surprised at the hard edged demeanor that the youngest sister they had only just met had suddenly taken on. The demon growled. "Screw _you_, witch!"

"Oh, we'll see who'll do the screwing!" answered the older Piper who blasted him through the cage. She paused for a moment and looked askance at her sisters. "That didn't quite come out right, did it?" Phoebe shook her head and replied with the smallest of smiles, "Noo, not really."

The demon growled again at the injury to his eyes and again the younger Charmed Ones were taken aback by the flippantly ruthless, down to business, nature of their future selves. Piper turned back to the demon. "I'll ask again. The Avidaivad. How is it done?" Piper raised her hands for another blast.

"Okay! Okay..." cried the demon. "On a Triquetra. Combine your blood." He clutched his side, where Piper's blast had hit and gasped. "Chant... chant," he squeezed his eyes shut. "Bring to us... the ancient power, bring to us the triple power, ancient signs and ancient rhymes, forever bind us throughout time. Then-" he coughed. "Drink the blood."

"Thank you," replied the older Piper sarcastically.

Paige kicked a crystal and the cage disintegrated. The demon eyed them suspiciously for a moment before shimmering away.

"You're just going to let him get away?" asked Prue in a huff.

The older Piper shook her head. "We have no choice."

"But-" began Prue before she was interrupted by Penny.

"They can't change the past, darling. As much as we'd like to vanquish that demon, we can't. Not without risking damage to the future." The sisters from 2007 nodded. "I would think you'd have realized that by now."

"Yeah – still trying to wrap my head around all of this. The past is the future, the future is the past... just – no," Prue grumbled and sighed. "But yeah, I get it."

"So what next?" asked the younger Piper.

"We become the new Triad," answered her older self.

Chris raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. "Well, three of us anyway."

The older Piper put her hands on her hip. "Yeah. Great. Juuust great."

**Next Time: A new Triad is formed, and Kalaaya finally confronts the Halliwells.**


	25. The Best Laid Plans

**Chapter 24: The Best Laid Plans**

As his window into the Halliwell Manor of 1983 rippled into clarity Kalaaya found himself watching an empty attic. He narrowed his yellow eyes, hoping that he had spaced this portal far enough from the last in this time frame that no energy ripples from this one would collide with the previous. He held his arms out to either side, palms raised, and strained to sense any turbulence in the fabric of space-time. Satisfied that all was well after a few minutes, he folded his hands back in his lap and turned his attention back to the Manor.

He didn't have to wait long, as both sets of sisters, a young man, and that pain of a witch Penny Halliwell strode into view. "Well, what do we have here," he sneered. "Think we have a little plan, do we?"

He watched as the young man bent over and began drawing a symbol in chalk on the floorboards. He soon realized it was a Triquetra. He chuckled sinisterly. "No witches portal can bring you here, boy." But then he noticed the goblets that Paige held. He looked closer, manipulating his window to focus closer on Penny's hand. She too was holding something. He waited patiently until she opened her hand and dropped the object into a bowl.

"No... no it can't be..."

_But it is._ His voice was back. Not that it ever really left. _You know its what we have been searching for for a millenia. And now those wretched witches have it. Which means..._

Kalaaya's eyes widened. "The Avaidavid! It can't be! No witch has ever been privy to that knowledge – it is a sacred ancient _demon_ rite!"

_And yet... they do._

"They must have forced it out of some demon. But even then, only upper level demons know the rite. How could this have happened?"

_Does it really matter? Whats important now is that we stop them. And hopefully kill a few while we're at it!_

"Yes – yes! I know what to do. I shall call in a favor from an old acquaintance of mine." The demon waved a hand and a new ripple appeared. This time it showed a typical lair in the underworld, opened to a year previous where the Charmed Ones were beginning the ritual. A small, but powerfully muscled man with short blonde disheveled hair, clad in the typical demon garb of black leather and rags, was licking the blood off of a large blade. "Sieppes!" yelled Kalaaya, his voice projecting out from the bowl of muddy water near the blonde demon, causing him to jump.

"Yes, Kalaaya?" Sieppes wandered over to the reflecting bowl.

"You owe me Sieppes, and I'm calling that in."

Sieppes jutted his chin out and crossed him arms. "Should've known you'd never forget about that, even 100 years later! So whadd'ya need?"

"Oh, its simple really. I simply require you to ambush a coven of witches precisely one year from now."

"I see. And? Whats so special about them?"

"They're from the future. So try not to kill any of them in the process."

"And my debt is wiped clean?"

"As clean as an Elder's backside, Sieppes. You just need to make sure you show up at the precise moment I tell you to..."

"I don't know... this whole drinking blood thing. It still seems evil to me..." said Piper, wringing her hands.

"Not to mention disgusting," added the younger Phoebe.

"Well, demons aren't exactly know for their flair for subtlety. Or taste," answered Paige. "Believe me, it's not exactly like I wrote 'Dear Diary, I sure hope I get to drink my sister's blood today!' this morning."

"Yeah, about that," replied the older Piper. "Tell me why exactly _I_ have to be the witch in this little Triad again?"

"Like it or not, you know you're the most powerful witch here, and that makes you our best bet," answered Grams in the tone she used to use for making the girls eat lima beans.

Piper flung her hand up briskly, waving away Grams. "I know! I know! Lucky all powerful me! Doesn't mean I can't bitch about it," she grumbled.

"I suppose so," replied Penny flatly. "Although Paige has every right to complain. I still say we should get Leo to do the ritual. He is a full whitelighter, after all. No offense Paige."

"None taken. The whole full blooded thing kinda requires dying – which I'm not really into at the moment!" said Paige as she set a goblet at each point of the Triquetra.

"You know how I feel about that Grams," said Piper, ignoring Paige's attempt at banter. "I'm not putting him in any more danger than necessary. Without him, our future is screwed. _And _he's my husband. So, until we find out that it won't work with Paige, he doesn't get involved in this."

"Very well darling. For your sake, I hope it works."

Chris, Piper, and Paige each settled cross-legged at a point on the chalk Triquetra as Penny placed a small bowl in the center of the symbol, along with an athame. "Ok, so we're all clear on the plan?" asked the older Piper.

Prue nodded. "We stand guard in while you guys perform the ritual."

"And kick the ass of any demon Kalaaya might send our way," added the younger Phoebe.

"_And_ hope that our new 'good guy' Triad can open a portal to him when its all said and done," finished her older counterpart.

"Right." Piper picked up the athame and paused to look at Paige with the knife hovering over her palm. "You _know_ you're healing me when this is over."

Paige made a face. "Yeah, yeah, just my luck I can't heal myself."

With that, Piper made a long slice across the middle of her palm and quickly held her hand out, squeezing it into a fist to encourage an acceptable amount of blood out into the bowl. Paige and Chris quickly did the same, with Chris giving the receptacle a swirl to ensure that their blood was mixed evenly.

Kalaaya watched intently, scarcely blinking. "Where _are_ you? This is the time! This is the moment you _must _be there!" he bellowed.

_He was a twit. Probably got himself vanquished. _The voice in his head, his sole companion, was louder than ever._ You always knew how to pick 'em K. Harkins... Og'raf... that delightful little bounty hunter that nearly gave you away... such __**fine**__ choices you've made. And with such success... After those witches finish that spell they'll have the power to make you an equal success..._

Kalaaya could feel the disgust from the voice radiate through his spine and he retaliated in a snarl. "Shut up! I will prevail – I always have!"

_Yes, you have. And you still can!_ The voice answered hotly. _But only if you listen to me!_

It was Kalaaya's turn for derision now. "But you _are_ me, voice. I may be mad - but you're still me!"

Though it had no face, no real sound, the condescension dripped from the voice. _Come now, K. I think we both know that that hasn't been true for quite. some. time._ A pregnant pause elapsed before it continued. _You know what you need to do..._

"No! Its suicide! Not after all this time will I abandon my plans!"

_The Nexus, K. With it you will have all the power you need to defeat the Charmed Ones... defeat **any**one you should so desire. We will rule the underworld as we always should have._

"No! I can't... I-" _Its the only way. And you know it. Your minions have failed you. And time, such as it is, is running out. You know what we must do. _"Crossing through without anything to channel through – it will weaken me enough. Drain me. I will not! Not after all this time! I will - I will - I know I can stop them before they complete this. And I will take back what should rightfully be mine! Once here with me they'll never be able to stop me!"

The voice was silent. A wildly wicked grin spread across Kalaaya's face as he held his hands over the portal, thumbs touching thumbs, index finger to index finger, to form a diamond shape, and the portal expanded in size, elongating itself into a 3 dimensional tunnel as well, with the manor still visible at the end.

Chris, Piper, and Paige exchanged glances before starting the chant.

_Bring to us the ancient power, _

_Bring to us the triple power, _

_Ancient signs and ancient rhymes, _

_Forever bind us throughout time _

Simultaneously, a sucking wind began in the attic, and those not within the confines of the Triquetra found their hair and clothes whipping about wildly. "What is it?" asked the younger Piper.

"I don't know, but something tells me it isn't good," answered Prue.

"Brace yourselves!" called out the older Phoebe, her voice raised slightly in alarm as she spotted a mass of swirling invisible energy which looked not unlike water going down a drain. "There!" She pointed to the energy distortion which had formed behind Penny and Prue's backs. The pair quickly flipped around, both with hands raised in anticipation.

"What do we do?" cried out the younger Piper over the hissing of the wind.

"We wait for him to make his move!" answered Penny. The sisters nodded as the three involved in the ceremony stole glances while continuing to repeat the chant. Suddenly a blast of black energy burst forth from the portal, but the older Phoebe quickly deflected it off into another direction, which instantly melted the wooden planks of the wall it hit.

Phoebe held a hand to her temple for a moment.

"You okay?" asked Prue protectively.

Phoebe waved her off. "Yeah, I just channeled some some... grade A crazy off him is all... I'll be fine." Another blast burst forth, sending Prue and the older Phoebe rolling to each side to dodge it, leaving it to fizzle as it hit the energy which had begun swirling about those inside the Triquetra. Those inside were no longer visible.

A howl of frustrated rage bellowed forth from the portal as Kalaaya saw this, and was quickly followed by barrage of short blasts of what appeared to be the same black energy strips. Penny flipped over the potions table as she dove behind it, with the younger versions of the sisters letting loose with yelps of fright as they dove for their own cover. The older Phoebe meanwhile, flew backward, levitating and landing with a roll a short distance behind the dome of protective energy the Triquetra had created. Each Halliwell took turns popping out of cover, doing their best to deflect, throw, or freeze the energy ribbons as best they could, but were quickly finding themselves exhausted as the attic turned to a blacked shambles around them.

Inside the energy dome, the three finished another repeat of the verse and suddenly locked eyes. They knew, somehow, it was time, and Piper leaned forward, retrieving the bowl, and carefully poured blood into each goblet. They nodded at each other and with a grimace each raised the goblets to their lips.

Outside the dome, the sisters and Penny continued to fare poorly. "I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up!" shouted Piper as she flung her hands out again.

"How long does a simple chant take?" replied the younger Phoebe.

"As long as it needs to!" answered Penny, her back pressed against the underside of the table, doing her best to keep it upright as another blast rocked it.

Suddenly, the energy dome dissipated in a crackle of bright golden light, which also disintegrated the black energy ribbons in the room. A pause in the barrage indicated that perhaps Kalaaya had been startled for the moment.

Standing in the Triquetra, whose lines of chalk now faintly glowed, were Piper, Chris, and Paige, but they were now clad in robes of silver, which were emblazoned with the Triquetra symbol in gold in their chests, echoing the original evil Triad's garments. They turned to face the sucking portal, their hair now whipping about in the wind as well.

The barrage began anew, but the three instantly raised their hands in unison, sending forth what looked like an oblong golden energy shield which disintegrated the dark energy blasts before they could get more than a foot into the room. The energy blasts soon stopped and another bellow of rage echoed from the portal. The wind died, but the portal remained. The Halliwells in hiding came up out of their cover, joining the three in the center of the room.

The three dropped their arms and the older Piper blew a piece of hair out from her eyes. Before throwing her hands up. "Always with the outfits!" she huffed.

Paige raised an eyebrow sardonically. "Hey, at least they're not skimpy like that outfit Billie got changed into." Piper nodded begrudgingly. At that, she and Paige looked at Chris, as if he were saying something. Paige rolled here eyes in manner which looked exasperated and Piper wore a face which could only be described as saying 'don't test me young man'. At this, Chris' took on an expression of 'just saying'.

The others, watching this, exchanged their own glances before the younger Pheobe piped up. "Ok, anyone else getting weirded out by that?"

"Took the words right out of my mouth," replied the older Phoebe.

The newly formed Triad nodded at each other and raised their hands once more. "Better step aside everyone," said Piper. "We're about to have company." The moment the ladies were safely out of the way the three shot forth what looked like glowing blue ropes, which went straight into the portal and quickly became taught.

"You'll never take me! We cannot be defeated! We are eternal!" shouted a raspy crow-like voice from within the portal.

"Wanna bet?" replied Paige, who then gave a yank in unison with Chris and Piper.

Almost instantly the demon was ripped forth through the portal, elongated and twisted magically until he was full out. He came to a tumble on the attic floor, still looking more like a pudgy accountant than a demon, if not for the tattoo which wrapped the base of his bald head and clothing. He looked up at them with a flash of his yellow eyes and snarled. "You cannot vanquish me, witches!"

"Again with the 'we'," snarked the older Piper. "I don't see any friends here." The demon narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth twisted into a hateful grimace but did not say another word.

The three spread their palms wide, as if to let go of the energy ropes and they vanished instantly. Again in unison, almost immediately, they each held their left arm out, palm front, while swing their right arms back around in a scooping motion, bring them back around to shoot out beams of brilliant purple sparks which crackled with energy. The three beams converged before combining to hit the demon as one. He was flung back against the far wall, pinned a few feet off the ground, and roar out in agonized rage. This went on for almost minute before Chris, Piper, and Paige abruptly shut off energy beam and looked at each other as if having a conversation. Kalaaya fell from the wall and collapsed in a smoking heap, seemingly unconscious.

"Ok, what are you guys, telepathic now?" asked the older Phoebe, flinging up her hands.

"Huh?" said Paige and then paused as if something just occurred to her. "Huh. Uh, yeah... I guess so."

"I hadn't even noticed," added Chris.

Penny eyed the demon, crossing her arms. "This is all fascinating, but why haven't you vanquished him yet?"

The older Piper took a step in Kalaaya's direction. "I don't know. We gave him all we had." She shook her head. "I don't like this."

"Maybe he wasn't lying when he said he couldn't be vanquished," replied Prue.

"Well, we have seen that before," replied the older Phoebe. The older Piper raised an eyebrow and tilted her head in acknowledgment.

"So what do we do then?" asked the younger Piper, her voice raised in pitch with anxiety.

The older Piper answered, her voice lowered into deadly resolve. "What we did the last time."

"You won't have the chance," came a raspy, and now gurgling, voice from across the room. The demon had pulled himself upright, but was obviously still badly injured. "We know where to get the power to do away with you filthy witches once and for all. Yes, yes... you were right, I know exactly what we need to do _now_." A sickeningly sinister smile split his face as he shimmered away.

"Where did he go!" exclaimed the younger Phoebe.

"The Nexus!" said Penny, and all three older version of the sisters. They all took off out of the attic down the stairs, headed as quickly as they could for the basement, with the younger sisters scrambling after them as Paige and Chris orbed away after him.

"The _what_?" asked Prue and she ran down the stairs, close on Penny's heels.

"The Nexus. A source of great power. I'll explain later – we must hurry!"

As the women arrived in the basement they found Chris and Paige groggily bringing themselves to their feet. "He blasted us before we had finished orbing in..." offered Chris by was as an explanation.

"... dona in tan la noc!" finished Kalaaya as Chris said this. Piper tried to blast him but succeeded merely on making him stumble back as step. But the black mass of energy had already been unleashed and poured itself into the demon and he began to laugh maniacally.

"Now what?" cried out the younger sisters.

"Now you shall die," replied Kalaaya, his voice twisted and deepened unnaturally by the Shadow.

Chris, Piper, and Paige immediately flung their hands out again in unison and sent another crackling beam of purple pummeling into the demon. "I don't think so," snarled the older Piper. It no longer pinned him, nor seemed to hurt him, but he struggled to move, slowly pushing forward against the beaming wave of magic.

"Quick-" said Paige.

"-we'll hold him. You do-" continued Piper.

"-the banishing spell!" finished Chris.

"What banishing spell?" shouted Prue over the crackling blast of magic.

"The Woogy spell!" replied the older Phoebe, realizing where they were going with this.

The younger sisters nodded and all began to chant as the remaining Halliwells quickly joined hands and also joined in.

_I am light. I am one too strong to fight._ _Return to dark where shadows dwell._ _You cannot have this Halliwell._ _Go away and leave my sight._ _And take with you this endless night. _

As quickly as it had gone into him, the Shadow fled back into the Nexus and Kalaaya went flying, crashing into the old steel furnace, where he remained pinned. Chris, Paige, and Piper began to recite a spell in what sounded more like one voice than three.

_Demon of time_

_Demon of pain_

_We banish you_

_To the astral plane_

Kalaaya screamed out as he felt himself ripped away from not just this realm, but his last ethereal tie to him perfect pocket realm was violently severed and he disappeared. The three dropped their hands and it was suddenly deathly silent in the basement.

Penny turned to Chris, Piper, and Paige. "The astral plane?" she asked with an approving smirk and raised eyebrow.

"Something a couple-"

"- of Leo's students -"

"- came up with, actually," each other the three said, finishing each other's sentence.

"Ok, this is getting a little creepy now..." said the older Phoebe, worry creeping into her voice.

"Indeed," agreed Penny. "We need to get this power out of you as quickly as possible."

The three looked at each other before closing their eyes in a manner that belied concentration, and before their very eyes, the others saw the damage to the basement disappear. "I can't stand a mess," said Piper simply when she opened her eyes again. "The attic is repaired as well."

Chris cocked his head slowly. "I've never felt so... powerful. Like we could do anything. This must be what Wyatt feels like all the time." He raised an eyebrow. "I kind of like it..."

A worried expression dropped like a shadow across the older Phoebe's face.


	26. A Triad By Any Other Name

**Author's Note:** I've been holding off on updates, as I decided to go back through and re-edit every chapter. I also expanded some chapters/scenes, such as dinner with the little ones. More fun though, is that I have added illustrations! I photoshopped at least 1 re-creation of a scene in the fic per chapter, often more. So, if you ever wanted to see Prue and Paige bonding, or many other things that happen in this fic, please check it out. I'd **love**some feedback on whether this little experiment is something people would be interested in seeing with future fics. I may also do the photoshopping for other people.

I didn't want to spam everyone with "new" chapters though, so if you'd like to re-read or check out the new content, either follow the link on my profile page, or copy/paste the link below, removing the DOT with a period. There are also Word Doc and PDF versions of the fic if you're interested in reading it offline. deskravenDOTweeblyDOTcom/fictionDOThtml

**Chapter 25: A Triad By Any Other Name...**

"Piper…. Paige?" she said warily to the other two new Triad members.

A sly smirk slid across a Paige's face. "Yeah," she said, seeming to have not heard Phoebe. "I think I finally know what Richard was getting at. This whole world of magic at my fingertips. I can-"

"-feel it flowing through our veins," Piper finished in unison with Paige.

"Girls? Chris?" said Grams, a hint of Phoebe's worry now creeping into her voice. "Remember what we did this for. You're not meant to have this power." The four normal Halliwell sisters exchanged worried glances.

"For the greater good," they replied in unison.

"Sure. You mean 'the greater good' as in saving your_ family. _You remember your family," prodded the older Phoebe.

The three laughed. "Don't be ridiculous, Pheebs," replied Paige, rolling her eyes. "We're still us. Just..."

"…more," the three power-amped witches replied in unison again.

Prue's eyebrows shot up as she narrowed her eyes. "Riiight. Real normal," she nodded, sarcastically.

Triad Piper smiled sardonically. "No, really. It's hard to explain, but it's not like when I was possessed by Shakti."

"Or Athena," said Paige.

"Or that Spider Queen… thing," added Chris.

Piper nodded. "Right. We don't feel any other personalities influencing us."

Prue cocked her head. "Except for this whole '_we_' thing. Unless you're magical royalty now?" The barb practically dripped Prue's own particular brand of sarcasm.

"We're just connected, so 'we' makes more sense," Chris tried to explain, his voice taking on the know-it-all lecturing professor tone the older sisters were far too familiar with. "See, the ritual had to link our magical essences which-" Piper and Paige's posture's shifted ever so slightly and Chris threw his hands up in apology. "Jeez, okay, okay." He crossed his arms. "It's one thing to get lectured from your mom and aunt, but when it's coming back at me in my own voice too… Okay. Maybe this _is _a little weird."

Penny planted her arms hard akimbo on her hips. "You three have saved Leo and Wyatt. You remember them?"

"Of course, Grams," replied Piper and the other two Triad witches waved their hands in a circular motion. Leo materialized in front of the three in a white flash.

"How did I get here?" he asked, glancing around. "And what happened to you guys?"

Piper stepped up to Leo, and cupped her hands on his face, letting her robe's billowy sleeves pool at the crook of her elbows. Leo was frozen, not by her powers, but because he was stunned by the depth of feeling in her eyes as she locked gazes with him. It was a look he hadn't shared with someone since he'd last seen his wife 40 years prior. It was electric.

Piper pulled Leo's face down to her own, with Leo himself stunned enough to simply go along, and quickly found his lips on hers. The power of her conviction locked him into a passionate, if relatively chaste kiss. Piper's younger self looked on and was again surprised by the twinge of jealousy that quirked in the pit of her stomach. Both at the kiss, and at the ability of her older self to take what she wanted - no awkward fumbling evident.

Piper pulled back, eyes still locked with Leo's, and an impish grin on her lips. "Sorry – I just couldn't help myself. I'm just so relieved. It's done."

Leo fought a losing battle against the grin pulling at his mouth. "Uh, no problem. I understand," he stole a glance in Penny's direction and regretted it instantly when he saw her raised single eyebrow of wrath. Piper was still her granddaughter, future ultra-powerful witch, and his wife, or not. He nodded quickly and stuffed his hands into his pockets self-consciously.

Piper caught all this but let it slide. She felt good. Weirdly good. '_And don't forget the power,'_ answered another voice in her head, composed of Paige's, Chris's, and her own voices. It made discerning who was saying what difficult. _'Right. But a powerful force of good. I've never felt so serene-confident-sure.' _The final three words came all at once and she couldn't be sure which originated with her and which came from her sister and son. Not that it bothered her. All three fit.

She looked back at Leo. "You're safe. We did it, and brought you here," answering his previous question warmly.

Leo looked at the three witches in what was obviously some kind of magical garb. "Right. But how did you…?"

"Meet the new Triad," replied Prue.

"The good guy version, anyway," added the younger Phoebe.

"What?" Leo asked. "That kind of power – it's dangerous."

"What part of 'good' went over your head, Leo?" answered Paige with a laugh.

Leo shook his head. "You're not meant to have that kind of power – not in this way. No one is. There's a reason the forces of good haven't formed a Triad before. The Charmed Ones are supposed to be the closest answer to that. But you and your sisters aren't so deeply connected; not like this."

"Right. And look where that's gotten us time and time again," answered Triad Piper. Suddenly, a shaggy looking blonde haired demon shimmered in at the top of the attic stairs. A gaggle of five other demons shimmered in just a moment behind him, all holding strange totems. Had Kaalaya still been alive, he would have recognized the scruffy blonde as the demon he had ordered to disrupt the Charmed One's ritual earlier.

The demon wore a cockily threatening look on his face and opened his mouth to speak but was struck by a purple energy beam which disintegrated him instantly. The totem toting demons all shimmered away instantly, a second energy beam striking the spot where they had just been a millisecond too late to connect.

"See?" said Piper brightly. "Good! Can you imagine if that had happened before we did this?" She gestured at Paige and Chris.

"We'd have handled it," answered Penny.

"Like you handled it with Mom at the lake, Grams?" Penny's mouth popped open in a stunned protest at this jab, but Piper continued, turning to the older Phoebe. "Or like we handled it with Prue?"

Prue blinked. She knew she wasn't in the future, at least for a while, but there was something about the way that Piper had juxtaposed whatever happened to her with what happened to their mother. Her gut sank, but she tried to push it out of her mind. She could feel her Piper and her Phoebe move close ranks in on her, not hugging, but a definite light brushing contact, and knew that they'd noticed it too. She tried to push it out of her mind for the moment.

"This could be a better way," said Chris.

"Like the Avatars had a better way?" rejoined the older Phoebe, the only one with the knowledge of everything the others had been through.

"Of course not, Pheebs," answered Paige, chuckling. "We're just talking about the ultimate good. We could be that force. We don't wanna be dictators. Just act as a force for making things better. Giving _good _a chance to rule."

"And how long 'til all this good gets _too_good? Like the kind of good we saw when then cosmic balance got all messed up and a bullet took the place of a parking ticket?" Phoebe tried to remind them.

Piper chuckled as well. "We're not going nuts, Phoebe."

"Yeah?" Phoebe raised an eyebrow. "What's with all the smirking and laughing then?"

"We just feel…"

"…good" they finished in unison.

"Not just like, having a good day good," said Chris.

"Or we just saved the day good. I mean, yeah, that too, but more like-"

"-paragons of what's right kind of good, down to our bones," finished Piper for Paige. "It's hard to describe. Like powerful, but in an 'everything's clear for the first time' kind of way."

"But this isn't your destiny. It's no one's," said Leo. He stepped up to Triad Piper, took her hands in his, and looked into her eyes. "You told me yourself, just hours ago. You saw the future – the future you've been fighting for, for years. Us, in the future, happy… with grandchildren at our feet… I know what I feel from you is true. I may not be your Leo – not yet – but I know what I feel from your heart." His eyes glistened, tearing up from a well deep inside himself, that this woman had somehow tapped.

Piper looked up at him, and the battle between the power of the ultimate good and the ultimate love played in her eyes. Paige and Chris both watched the couple as well, feeling what Piper felt as if it were their own. Piper bit her lip. "But it could be better…" she said in a small, tight voice.

The Phoebe of her time stepped to Chris and Paige. "It could always be better. But that's not the point… it's the shades of grey. True good doesn't deal in absolutes. It's about free will, and letting the world work itself out. Where would either of you be without that? Where would any of us be?" she asked. "If the Elders, or any other powerful force of good had unilaterally had their way, even in the name of good… we wouldn't have you." She turned to Paige. "We wouldn't have you, to reconstitute the power of three." She turned to Chris. "And we never would have had you to warn us of the danger to Wyatt… or Wyatt for that matter" She brushed his beard-stubbled cheek with the back of her fingers and smiled warmly. "Who would I have to spoil?" She turned back to Paige. "Or to dish with about the hotties at P3?" A tear rolled down Paige's cheek as a smile tugged at her lips. "No one, and no power, can see everything needed in this world as long as there's free will. And there's no such thing as good when there's no free will. And if you're really filled with good, deep down you still know that."

Paige, Chris, and Piper looked at each other and their faces were soon wiped of the emotions brought out by Phoebe and Leo. The rest of the Halliwells looked on with bated breath as they saw the three's faces flutter for an instant between searching and then resignation, before finally settling into a resolved peaceful serenity. The three turned to their family and spoke in unison. "We can't."


	27. Putting Right What Once Went Wrong

**Author's Note: **Thanks to all the new Favorite Story and Story Alert adds people out there. If you have a second, a review would be even more awesome. :) No worries though, I'm not the type to hold a story hostage in a gambit for reviews. Illustrated versions have been updated and the link can be found in my profile. I've also added a direct download link from there as well.

And an extra special shoutout to the awesome **lizardmomma** and **My Alternate Reality** for leaving some feedback!

* * *

**_Last Time:_**

_Paige, Chris, and Piper looked at each other and their faces were soon wiped of the emotions brought out by Phoebe and Leo. The rest of the Halliwells looked on with bated breath as they saw the three's faces flutter for an instant between searching and then resignation, before finally settling into a resolved peaceful serenity. The three turned to their family and spoke in unison. "We can't."_

* * *

**Chapter 26: Putting Right What Once Went Wrong**

As Penny opened her mouth once again to protest, the three held up their hands and smiled. "At least, not until we bless the Ninsun totem!" said Paige with a laugh. Chris and Piper joined in the chuckle as well.

"Gave you a scare there, eh?" added Piper at her Grams expression.

"Why you…" began Prue, but try as she might, a smile still broke through her gritted teeth and she gave Paige a playful shove. "You are _so_ lucky none of us are going to remember this. Or my revenge would be _so_ sweet…"

Paige glanced at Triad Piper with a raised eyebrow as they seemed to be in some sort of exchange. "She what - Really?" she exclaimed aloud. "And here I thought Phoebe was the queen of all revenge pranks!"

"Who do you think I learned it from?" replied the older Phoebe, guessing at what Piper had just told Paige.

"Don't blame _me_ for your delinquency," intoned Prue in false warning.

Younger Phoebe nodded. "You're right. You never had the gift for it like I do!"

Penny smiled in relief, along with her grandkids, but quickly refocused the group. "Now," she began and swung the basement door open. "Let's get back to putting things as they should be before Chris' grandchildren show up, saying we've messed something else up!" she proclaimed and headed back up to the attic, her family not far behind. "Starting with blessing Ninsun's Tear."

"Wait a minute, I'm confused," said the younger Phoebe.

"Don't even think about saying it," warned the older Phoebe when Prue began to open her mouth.

"Sure, ruin all my fun," replied Prue with a playful smirk.

"Anyway," continued the younger Phoebe. "If you got Ninsun's Tear from the future, who already got it from Grams, wouldn't it already be blessed by us? Who got it from the future, too…" She pressed a finger against her temple. "Ouch."

"The ward was activated when Kaalaya attacked," said Triad Piper. "And it was drained of its power upon use."

"That's what the shield protecting us was," added Paige.

"Meaning you were protected by the power that you, or we, blessed it with, so you would be able to be take in the Triad's power, right?" said Prue.

The younger Phoebe exchanged a look with her older self, who just shrugged. "Just go with it. I learned a long time ago that it doesn't need to make sense, as long as it works."

Leo nodded. "That's the nature of paradoxes. And why messing with the timeline is best not done at all."

The older Phoebe held up her hands. "Hey, you won't get any argument from me!"

* * *

Once Penny, all the sisters, Chris, and Leo were all settled upstairs Penny and Leo made quick work of preparing a blessing ceremony for the triquetra charm. The non-Triad sisters meanwhile worked on a potion to go with the warding rite.

"Thistle… ashwood… turnip blossom…" read off the younger Piper. She scanned the ingredients laid out on the table. "Is that everything?"

Prue and Younger Phoebe nodded. "Looks like it. How are things going with Larry, Moe, and Curly?" Prue asked, looking at Piper, Chris, and Paige, who appeared to be communing in an animated, but silent fashion, across the room.

"Still talking in their little twin language over there," answered the older Phoebe.

"Still hearing perfectly well, too," answered all three, though the tone sounded more like it came from Piper.

"So creepy," said Prue, shaking her head.

"The sooner you finish the sooner we can separate them," said Penny.

"And we're going to do that how, exactly?" asked the younger Piper.

"We're working on it. Or would be, if we could get some peace and quiet with our thoughts and focus," replied the charmed Triad, the tone recognizable as Paige to Phoebe. _'Or maybe Chris,' _she considered. _'Or Piper. Those three are more alike when they're annoyed than they'll ever know.'_

"Normally, destroying the item which was used to create the bond would also dissolve it, but apparently we can't destroy it, since Penny needs to give it to that shopkeep in China Town," replied Leo.

A poof of smoke, followed by a golden glow indicated that the potion was ready. "Bring that over here, dear," said Penny. "I think we're ready to begin."

Prue brought the still-bubbling cauldron of potion to the center of circle of salt which Penny had poured out on the attic floor and gently placed it down. "So, what's with the salt, anyway?" she asked.

"Dear, have you done any reading to educate yourselves at all?" said Penny, using the scolding tone she had when Prue hadn't done her homework growing up.

"Uh – the Book of Shadows… what else is there?" replied Prue. "You don't expect me to believe something put out by Random House do you?"

"You'd be surprised," answered the older Phoebe. "And Grams, give them a break. It's not like we grew up with this stuff. Heck, I still thought leprechauns were myths until a couple years ago."

"Leprechauns?" exclaimed Prue and the younger Phoebe. "How adorable are they?" asked her younger self.

"You remember that cranky old janitor at our Jr. High School?" asked the older Phoebe rhetorically. "Like that. Only less helpful."

Younger Phoebe's face dropped a bit. "Oh."

"Oh, they're okay I guess. But you'd think guys with pots of gold would be a little less whiny. Anyway, salt repels evil forces. Thus, the circle."

"Which we will be performing the blessing inside of," added Penny.

"Okay," said Prue. "So, now what?"

"Chris, Paige, Piper, I want you three to stand over here, at the book. The rest of us will use you as a focusing point," said Penny.

"How do we do that?" asked the younger Piper.

"As family, you're all connected by blood," added Leo. "As a Triad, Chris, Paige, and Piper can use that connection to channel your family magic and channel it as a single force directly into the triquetra, creating a powerful ward against evil."

"Ok, well, how will they do that?" asked Prue.

"We know," the three intoned. "We can already feel it. Probably the threads of magic that flow through all things. It's called the Ethereal-" at this tangent, Paige and Piper stopped speaking and rolled their eyes as Chris continued. "-Tapestry. The Avidaivid ritual draws on the principle magical threads that come from the one True Source – you know, of magic – and are weaved through all existence. So, like a spider sitting on his web, we can feel the 'vibration' of others moving along …the …threads…" He finally trailed off, realizing that he was speaking alone, and everyone else's eyes had glazed over. "Anyway, that's how whitelighters feel their charges, or servants of the Source can sense. We have that same connection, just enhanced, by becoming a Triad," he finished quickly.

"Ditto," said Paige and Piper in unison, both wearing devilish smirks. "We should have had him teaching at magic school."

Older Phoebe quirked her right eyebrow up. "Chris? A teacher?" she chuckled.

"Hey!" said Chris and Piper in unison before Chris continued. "I happen to help out Dad from time to time."

"Alright, while I'm not exactly digging on the idea of us being the bugs caught in your magical spider web, I get what you're saying," said Prue. "So, do we need to do anything special?" she asked, turning to Penny and Leo.

Leo shook his head no as Penny nodded. "You merely need to focus on your Nephew and sisters – all of you do – and while we say the spell, Leo will drop the trinket in it at the correct moment. And voila! Simply as that. Now, are we ready?"

The group nodded and took up their places along the inside of the protection circle of salt. Penny turned the podium around so that everyone could see the protection ward blessing spell. The non-Triad members of the group joined hands, while Paige, Chris, and Piper held their hands, palms out, as if to absorb the groups power from the ether, and they began the recitation.

_"We call upon our Warren magic,_

_Bane of evil, without respite,_

_Ward the bearer of this trinket,_

_Let no darkness hide from thy sight,_

_When blessed words meet elixir's might."_

At the last word Leo dunked the silver triquetra amulet into the potion and stepped back as Piper, Chris, and Paige's hands began to emanate a soft glow. The amulet answered in turn, bathing the circle with a warm golden glow. The effect lasted only a few seconds before everything returned to normal.

"Well, I'd say it looks like it worked," remarked Prue.

"By George, I think we just might get out of this little adventure before I go grey," said the younger Phoebe as she picked up the amulet out of the cauldron.

"Shh!" hissed the younger Piper before lightly slapping her on the shoulder. "Don't jinx it!" Phoebe rolled her eyes with a toothy smile.

"She's kinda right though," said the older Phoebe. "I mean, getting back to our own times is easy enough, but the only way we've found to break the Triad was to vanquish them. And even then, it only banished them for a while."

"Well, that's obviously not an option," replied Prue.

"And we can't destroy that stupid totem, 'cause we need it to be in the future to bring it back here… God, do I hate time paradoxes," grumbled the younger Piper.

"I'm afraid I'm at a bit of a loss myself, girls," said Penny.

"We're not," replied Chris, Piper, and Paige.

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" asked Prue.

"We've been communing," the three answered. At the amused look from their sisters/aunts, the three leveled what could only be termed the Halliwell glare. "You got a better word for it? That's what we thought," they deadpanned in Piper's tone.

"Alright! Sorry! What have you got?" said Prue.

It was Paige alone who spoke this time. "Simple. We give up the power."

"Uh, yeah," Prue furrowed her brow. "That's the idea. But the question is still how."

"That _is _how," replied Chris. "The power within us isn't possessing us._ We_ posses it."

"Like when we received the powers of the ancient Grecian gods," added Paige. "Only when we declared ourselves gods did we possess the power to defeat the Titans."

"And no one could take it from me until I was ready to let it go," finished the older Piper, remembering the moment she'd been forced to accept losing Leo to the Elders.

"And without a home… the link to the Triad powers should go back into Ninsun's Tear," said Leo.

"Well, I think it's worth a try," said Penny.

"No offense Grams, but that almost seems a little too simple," replied Prue.

"But not without precedent," replied the older Phoebe. "You saw for yourself, not too long ago, right? When I had to be burned at the stake for us to learn our lesson and return home?"

"Wait, you what?" exclaimed Penny.

"Bad alternate future Grams, relax. Don't worry about it, it's not going to happen," said the younger Piper. Penny looked at her granddaughter skeptically but let it drop in favor of the more pressing issue of getting her girls home.

Prue shrugged. "Alright, you've got a point. I mean, what harm could it do if it's not even a spell?"

The younger Piper threw up her hands. "Seriously, people! Do you _want_ to jinx this, saying that kind of thing?" causing everyone else to laugh.

"Well, let's get this show on the road then before Piper starts knocking on every piece of wood in the attic," said the older Phoebe.

"Here goes nothing," said the charmed Triad. They all drew in a deep breathe and exhaled slowly, clearing their minds to focus on willing the threads binding them together, and to the one true source of magic, to loosen. The three could soon feel something come undone; akin to feeling a balloon tied to your wrist with too loose a knot slip off and away. The rest of the family watching the three saw nothing at first, then, suddenly a brilliant golden light flared in the trio's eyes. The light quickly fled from the window to each witch's souls before being sucked back into the tear-shaped stone that acted as it's link between the material and ethereal realms.

The trio's robes next melted away, leaving their normal clothes back in their place. All three broke into smiles, which caused everyone else in the room to simultaneously exhale in relief. Chris turned to his mother and smugly crossed his arms across his chest. "I told you it would work."

Before Piper could respond a blinding flash of light filled the room. When Penny opened her eyes again she found the room empty of all but herself and Leo.

He glanced about, confused as well. "I'll check with the Elders," he said quickly before orbing away.


	28. Thanks for the Memories

**Author's Notes: **Thanks again to all the Charmed fans out there still reading. Very special thanks/shoutout to reviewers of the last chapter: **kinasmum, Seeking Shadows, **and **lizardmomma.** In regards to your comment, **kinasmum**, hopefully the next couple chapters won't quite be what you expected in regards to their parting ways, but also a fun one.

Again, check out my profile for a link to a downloadable copy. It all virus scanned, etc, blah, blah, blah.

* * *

**Last Time: **_Before Piper could respond a blinding flash of light filled the room. When Penny opened her eyes again she found the room empty of all but herself and Leo._

_He glanced about, confused as well. "I'll check with the Elders," he said quickly before orbing away._

* * *

**Chapter 27: Thanks for the Memories**

Penny stood there for a moment, still at a loss. She heard the grandfather clock downstairs strike 8 and a voice in her back of her head remarked that the girls would need to be up for school an hour ago, before suddenly sucking in a breath in realization.

Which meant the sleep spell wore off an hour ago.

She spun on her heel and took off at a clip through the door and down the stairs. "Oh, God, please…" she came to a stop at Phoebe's bedroom door, her hand frozen over the knob, and took a deep breath to steady herself. She turned it slowly, and the door creaked open. Penny peered into the cheery bed, her eyes flitting immediately to the bed.

An empty bed. The covers barely disturbed_. 'Reason or no reason, magic can't do this to my family. Not my little ones…' _She took off at a pace down the hall, willing herself to stay calm until she could be sure. Again, Penny found herself at a door, Prue's this time, but there was no hesitation as she swung the door open. It took only a fraction of a second for her eyes to travel from the foot of the bed to the head, but it felt like a lifetime.

There, in the bed, lay Phoebe, snuggled up to Prue like a teddy bear, Prue's arms wrapped protectively around her little sister, as they both slept. Penny felt her pulse pound in her ears like jungle drum, relief making her suddenly aware of the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

She took a deep breath, her eyes locked on the two oft-bickering sibling, and a smile of relief spread across her face. Whatever else her granddaughters, the adults, may face, she was relieved to know that the little ones were still safe.

As Penny was about to pull the door shut she saw Prue, always the first to rise, shift and yawn. "Morning Grams…" She rubbed her eyes with her free hand and made a face at little Phoebe who was still wrapped around her, but continued in a whisper. "What time is it? I'm gonna be late for school!"

"I think you've earned a day off, darling," whispered Penny. Really, she wanted to keep an eye on her girls, but of course, she couldn't explain that to the little ones.

Phoebe popped her head up at this, an expectant smile already upon it. "No school?"

Penny shook her head, smiling. "No school. Now, what are you doing in your sister's bed?"

Phoebe snuggled the blankets up to her chin. "I heard voices coming from the attic…"

"It was just a bad dream Phoebe," scolded Prue.

"Nuh-uh! Anyway, I got scared…"

"So I let her sleep in here," finished Prue. "But it's light now and I'm getting' up."

"Can we have waffles?" asked Phoebe.

"We'll see. Why don't you both sleep in a bit. I'll get you when breakfast is ready."

"But Graaams," Prue began with a whine.

"If buts were candy and nuts, Prudence. Stay up here until breakfast is ready," Penny scolded.

"Fine," replied Prue with a scowl and dramatically threw her head back into her pillow, crossing her arms across her chest when she landed.

"Try not to tire yourself out resting, dear," replied Penny as she shut the door. She knew she deserved it, for once, from Prue, but needed time to figure out what was going on. Hopefully, Leo would return soon and they could formulate a plan.

As if on cue, the familiar jingling of orbs filled the air and lights swirled next to her. "What do the Elders have to say?"

The orbs formed into a small blonde woman wearing Elder robes. "Greetings, Penny. How are you?"

Penny narrowed her eyes at the Elder. While she respected what they stood for, she was no fan of the Elders after what they had put her daughter through with Sam and Paige. Granted they didn't know about the world's first witchlighter, and she now knew everything with Paige turned out alright, but it was their worship of the rules that caused the whole mess to begin with. "Who are you? Where's Leo?"

"My name is Sandra - and Leo is fine. He's up there, being treated with memory dust. There's no need to worry."

"No need to worry?" Penny answered in a hushed voice, and grabbed the Elder by one of her billowy sleeves, dragging her upstairs. "Seven of my grandchildren are missing and I shouldn't worry?" she continued once they were back in the attic.

"I apologize. Perhaps I should have been clearer. All of your… visitors, from the future, are back in their proper times. Once the threat was successfully handled, we sent them back."

"Well. A word of warning would have been nice. And it would have been nice to say goodbye," replied Penny, hands on her hips.

"We felt that the longer they remained, the greater the chance of altering the timeline. Besides, once your memories of these events are erased, the goodbyes would be rather pointless, don't you think?"

"That's hardly the point! Or have you forgotten all sense of manners living up there for who knows how long?" As Sandra opened her mouth to reply, Penny pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "You know what? Nevermind. What's the plan?"

Sandra nodded. "After you leave Ninsun's Tear and the triquetra enchanted to ward off evil I will return and use memory dust on you. Leo will still be assigned as your granddaughter's whitelighter, but you both will simply remember a warlock attack and vanquishing him. We'd rather not use memory dust on the children, as we could inadvertently erase their school lessons, so we will need you to write a spell to remove any memory of a visit from their 'cousins'."

"That shouldn't be a problem," answered Penny, recalling the spell she used to use on the neighbor boy, Andy, before binding the girl's powers.

"Excellent. Simply call when you're ready," said Sandra, who orbed away before waiting for a response.

Penny shook her head. "Well. You're welcome," she grumbled to the empty attic.

_**1999**_

As the flash of light cleared from their eyes, Prue, Piper, and Phoebe spun around. "Hey! Where did everybody go?" exclaimed Piper.

Phoebe noticed the warm light streaming through the attic's stained glass windows. "And am I going crazy or is the sun going down – not coming up?"

Prue walked over to the Book of Shadow's podium and flipped through a few pages. "No candles, no salt on the ground. And it's our version of the book here. I think we're back in our own time."

"Ok, but how?" asked Phoebe, flinging herself down on Aunt Pearl's couch.

Prue shrugged. "Maybe cause we saved the day? Or our future sisters didn't need us anymore? I mean, it happened as soon as our good-guy Triad was disbanded…"

"So, like when we got sent back from the future as soon as we let Phoebe burn at the stake?" replied Piper.

"Got a better explanation?" answered Prue.

Piper simply shrugged. "No. But it's all just so… 'Wizard of OZ'. You could have gone home all along-ness. What is this, an afterschool special?"

"Anybody else think that the 'powers that be' _like_ having the most inconvenient timing? I mean, we didn't even get to say goodbye to Grams, or… us. That still sounds weird," said Phoebe.

"I can't say I'll miss the confusing semantics, though," replied Piper. "But yeah, it would have been nice to say goodbye to our other sister. And my son. But apparently being the arbiters of all good doesn't include being polite."

"I guess we should call Leo to erase our memories," said Phoebe. "Unless…"

"No, Phoebe," said Prue before Phoebe could go any further with the idea.

"Aww, c'mon, why not? How much could it really hurt?" whined Phoebe.

Prue shot a withering look at her youngest sister. "Did you learn _nothing_ from your future self? Besides, look at it this way. Unlike me, you'll get to do it again in another, _oh_, eight years. And you'll get to be on the all-knowing wise older sister side the next time."

"True...," answered Phoebe in a calculating tone. "But I still won't get to remember this one."

"We can't really let something happen to you, can we Prue?"Piper interjected suddenly. They all knew what the real elephant in the room was; the possibility that Prue wouldn't simply be going away for a while, but none could say it aloud. To give it voice would be to believe it was possible.

"You know we have to. If we couldn't save Mom, I'm certainly not going to let you die for me, Piper," replied Prue.

"But-"

"No buts, Piper. Look, as much as the future versions of you and Phoebe have changed, they were still you guys. I had a chance to talk with both of them, and whatever it is that happens… I know it's the right thing. Because they believe that – and I believe in my sisters." Prue wrapped one arm around Piper's shoulders. "Look. There's something I need to do. Can you guys call Leo and tell him we're ready for the dust?"

Piper sighed, but nodded in the affirmative. "Alright. But don't take too long or I can't be held responsible for the changing of my mind."

Prue nodded, softly adding, "I'll be right back," before leaving the attic. Phoebe and Piper exchanged questioning looks.

"Hey, you've known her longer," answered Phoebe. "So, do you wanna call Leo or should I?"

Piper shook her head at her sister and sighed. "Leo!"

Prue quickly made her way to her room and began rifling through a box in her closet. Finding what she was looking for, she pulled out an old fabric bound book, with the title 'The Clue in the Jewelry Box" emblazoned on the front. She had always been a fan of Nancy Drew growing up and had never been able to bring herself to store her book collection in the basement, as she liked the idea of having them handy 'just in case'. Nevertheless, Prue hadn't actually read any of them since she was kid.

As she sat down on her bed, she separated a section of the inner lining of the book's inside cover. Once that was completed she pulled a set of three photographs from her back pocket. They were the photographs that ten year old Piper had taken, and she believed she'd destroyed as a hyperbolic pre-teen. Taking a pen from her nightstand she began to quickly scribble a note on the back of one of the photos.

_To my sisters,_

_I don't know if, or when, you may find this. I hope you find it when the time is right. I saved these photos from my little self. I know I can't keep them because trying to figure out where they came from will only raise questions, which could lead to us finding out about the little "trip" we took and possibly changing the future in terrible ways. _

_But, I'm hoping you'll find it in my "absence" - if you know what I'm saying. If you've found this and don't know what I'm talking about, do the right thing and have Leo dust the memory of this note. It's for the best. _

_In any case, I just need you to know two things. First, you couldn't have stopped "it" from happening. Don't blame yourself; I certainly don't blame you. Secondly, one way or another, I'll always be there for, even you when you don't know it. _

_Love Always,_

_Prue_

_November, 9__th__. 1999._

Prue looked the letter over and sighed. She gave the photos a final look and stuffed them into the hidden pocket she had created in the book and gently closed it. She then placed it back with her other Nancy Drew mysteries, before heading back to the attic. It was a long shot, but she knew no matter what happened to her, her sisters would never throw out her books. She wasn't one for nostalgia, but those books were the exception that proved the rule for Prue. She just hoped that finding a book with a photo shaped bump under the cover, and a title with the word 'clue' in it would be enough to make her sisters find the photos. She knew she was not in danger of finding it herself in any case, since she'd not cracked one open in at least 15 years.

Prue was soon back upstairs with Piper, Phoebe, and now Leo. "So, are we ready to get this show on the road?"

_**2007**_

"Good luck," said Coop to a mostly empty attic. His eyes naturally traveled to the prone form of Leo on the floor. "I don't know how you sit back and let them go off like that all the time," he remarked. But before he could decide what to do to distract himself from the waiting the freeze on Leo came undone.

But to his surprise, Leo didn't continue to age or writhe in pain. He appeared, in fact, to be in a restful slumber. The grey hair quickly returned to its original shade and the wrinkles smooth themselves out. When he had returned to his normal appearance he began groaned and sat up and blinked a few times. "What happened?"

His only answer was the flash of a brilliant white light.

When the flash cleared from their eyes, Phoebe, Paige, and Piper found themselves standing in the same spot that they had been when casting the spell that sent them back to 1999 – including a mortal Leo pulling himself to his feet. Piper quickly rushed over to her husband and engulfed him, as best she could, in her arms. "Oh, thank God!" she exclaimed. "You look alright. How are you feeling?"

Leo laughed. "I'm feeling fantastic, thanks to my amazing wife," he answered before their lips met in a kiss.

"Hey, what are we? Chopped liver?" said Paige.

"Of course. My apologies," replied Leo with a smile. "I take it everything is fixed?"

Piper nodded. "I think so. Nothing's changed, right? You're still my husband, still own P3 and have two magical little boys?"

"Yup. Including one hefty order of cupcakes for a certain bake sale at one little boy's very non-magical pre-school," said Leo.

Piper groaned. "Ok, I wouldn't have minded that changing…"

"Not that I'm complaining, but how did we get back here?" asked Paige.

"If you finished what you set out to do, you probably have the Elders to thank for that," said Leo.

Piper let out an irritated huff. "Right. Figures that the Elders only deign to intervene when it's inconvenient to us."

Leo furrowed his brow. "What do you mean? You did finish everything you needed to, right?"

Paige shook her head. "I guess so, but…"

"We were just kind of tugged out of there. Without some much as a how do you do," said Phoebe as she cuddled up next to Coop. "Prue was there…"

Leo smiled sadly at Piper. "You didn't…"

Piper shook her head. "Of course not. Not that I didn't seriously think about it." She sighed. "But you think they'd at least have let us leave on our own accord. We didn't get a chance to say goodbye when we lost Prue. And thanks to their meddling I lost my last chance to say goodbye to Prue.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you," Piper heard a familiar voice say from behind her.

* * *

**NEXT TIME:** The end of an era, and new beginnings.


	29. Dear Prudence, Meet the Brand New Day

Everyone in the room turned around to face the source of the voice at the attic door. Piper eyes widened and she swallowed hard. "Prue?"

There stood their sister, clad in a pair of dark blue denim jeans, a fitted baby blue t-shirt, and a long soft-knit cardigan. The raven-haired sister nodded gently in return.

"Wait, past Prue, or our Prue?" asked Phoebe.

"I know it's been six years but I kinda thought you'd be able to tell the difference Pheebs," answered Prue, a smile playing on her lips. Piper felt a tightness she hadn't realized she'd been holding over her heart since traveling back in time release, and her eyes welled over, spilling a stream of tears down her cheeks. Prue couldn't hold herself back at this and took a few quick steps across the room, and each sister with one arm, pulling them hard into her.

They stayed like this for a long moment, with both Phoebe and Piper hugging either side of Prue's head with their own faces, arms all entangled. But soon Prue blinked back the tears glistening in her own eyes and met the equally misty-eyed gaze of her youngest sister. "And what do you think you're doing just standing there?" she asked with a gleam in her eye.

Paige sniffled a little bit, but smiled nonetheless, and shrugged. "Keeping a respectful distance?"

Prue shook her head and sighed. "Come here baby girl; there's room for four." Paige nodded and joined in the warm embrace. For the living sisters, although they had left another Prue just moments earlier, this was different. Not only because they could be fully open with her, but because of what they hoped it signified: that they were finally going to be allowed to see her again. Prue gave a final tight squeeze and they all stepped apart. The eldest sister wiped the tears from her eyes and laughed. "I told myself I wasn't gonna cry, dammit all!"

"Prue, I don't..." began Phoebe, but trailed off as overwhelmed by her own emotions as but those coming from everyone else in the room.

"What I think she's trying to say," said Piper is a voice raspy with emotion, "is how? I mean, it's wonderful, but why now?"

Prue shook her head. "You know the Elders. Always with the mysterious crap – no offense Leo," she added when she realized her was there.

He smiled. "None taken. There was a reason I quit."

"And none too soon," added Prue. "You can't imagine how much it was killing, not being able to say anything to you."

"Couldn't have been too much, what with you being dead already," remarked Paige, who immediately blushed, realizing what she said. "Err, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have-"

Prue laughed, interrupting her hasty apology. "No need, Paige. It's one of the things I love about you! Tell you the truth, everyone up there treated me with such kid gloves it's nice to be subject of a little sisterly teasing," she finished with a wink.

"So, that means you _have_ been watching us this whole time?" asked Phoebe.

Piper frowned and glanced down. "I'm sorry for everything, Prue. There have been so many times I wish you could have been here." She clenched her jaw and looked up. "Or at least told me what to do. You always knew..."

Prue shook her head. "No, I didn't. It was always the same for me as I bet it's been for you. I just acted like I knew. For you guys; my sisters. So you could be allowed to feel that fear." She pushed a lock hair away from her sister's face, tucking it behind her ear. "Piper, you held it together better than I ever could have." She looked at Phoebe. "You both did."

"You would have too, Prue," said Piper.

Prue shook her head. "Maybe. I don't know. But I know I wouldn't have ever been able to let either of you hold me up if I thought I'd just failed one of my sisters – not that you failed me. Don't ever think that. That's my pride getting in the way. And that could've gotten all of us killed. But anyway, you 'why now'... it wasn't just about you guys being ready to see me again." She sighed. "It took a long time before I was ready to move on and accept things. If it weren't for Mom and Grams, I think the powers that be would've recycled me after all the attempts to escape the hereafter I've made."

"You tried to escape the afterlife?" asked Paige in amazement.

Prue's mouth broke into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Oh, yeah. I tried astrally projecting myself, co-opting séances, possessing a whitelighter... I figured they're already dead, so maybe I could at least get out and talk to you – no harm done. I got pretty close to escaping with that spirit named Clyde. Had a whole deal worked out, until that whole Lulu and Frankie fiasco. After that he got pretty paranoid that he'd get in trouble with the Elders again."

"Sorry for ruining your escape route," said Phoebe sheepishly.

Prue squeezed her little sister's shoulder. "Don't be. I am where I am for a reason. I know that now."

"Couldn't they have made you a whitelighter? I mean, they made Kyle one. If anyone's earned their wings, it's you!" said Paige.

Prue shook her head. "They offered, but it comes with the same strings as even the Elders have. No seeing living loved ones. And if I broke that rule – well, you know. Off to the recycling bin for me. And even I know I'm too stubborn to be down here and not see my family. Besides, I'd rather wait 'up there' for a few more decades, than be reincarnated. Lord knows, I'd probably end up as Phoebe's daughter or something as some sort of cosmic karmic joke!"

Phoebe grimaced. "Yeah, that would be... weird."

"So that wasn't you flipping the book from up there... you know, right after..." asked Piper.

Prue shook her head. "I wish it were. I would've if I could have."

Piper slapped Leo on the shoulder. "You were an Elder! Why didn't butt in for Prue?"

Leo grimaced and over dramatically rubbed his shoulder. "Hey! I told you – they never let me contact her. I wasn't supreme leader of the Elders. It's policy for every Elder not to see their loved ones when they've passed on. It would interfere with the greater good!" Piper huffed in response and rolled her eyes.

"It's okay Leo, I know," said Prue. "It's hard to explain how things are up there," though she too rolled her eyes. "Anyway, that's not the point. Once I'd accepted my… situation… I just had to wait for you guys to fulfill your destiny. Mom and Grams kept me filled in on the general details, but part of being up there is that time moves differently. You remember when you and Leo went up there the first time."

Piper nodded, recalling the time she'd gone missing for a month, which only felt like a couple days for her.

"It makes keeping up with everything difficult, to say the least," added Prue. "They only let me start watching a few months before you faked your deaths… but when you didn't show up, you know, up there, I knew you'd beaten the system." She said the last with a prideful twinkle in her eye.

The group shared a quiet chuckle before Prue continued. "So, when you won the Ultimate Battle I started pestering them, and that's when they showed me."

"Showed you what?" asked Phoebe.

"What just happened – or did happen. Whatever, you know. You traveling to the past, meeting our past selves. It's like what new whitelighters get, I guess."

"To give you perspective," added Leo.

"Right," Prue said, nodding. "Only, just for that one little bit of memory we had to erase. That's when I knew I had to wait. Not that I haven't spent a lot of time around the vision pool, making sure I didn't miss it." She smiled. "And so… that's why. Why now. You proved that you could still live your lives, be the force for good you're supposed to be, and not give into the temptation to change the future."

"So that means we can summon you now?" asked Phoebe. Prue nodded.

"As long as it's not for personal gain, right?" added Piper.

"Right." Prue ran hand through her hair nervously. "I did have one question for you guys though."

"What's that?" asked Leo.

"What did you do with my old Nancy Drew books?"

"They're, uh, around here somewhere, I think…" Piper glanced around at the corner of the attic where most boxes were stored.

Leo scratched him head. "I think I…" He began to set aside a few boxes of holiday decorations to reach an area deeper from the front. "Here. I organized all of Prue's stuff into categories when I was going stir-crazy."

"Right after you fell from grace?" asked Prue.

Leo nodded. "Ah, here it is…" He hefted the book-heavy box onto the nearest table. "Why do you want these, anyway?"

"Oh, I don't want the books, per se," she said as she dug through the stack of volumes. "Which, by the way, any of you want to pass these on to any future daughters, I'd be honored. But… here!" She pulled out a dusty copy of 'The Clue in the Jewel Box.' and handed it to Piper. "I want you to have this."

Piper took the novel, obviously a little mystified. "Okay… but you know I was never into these when we were little. Not like you…"

Prue chuckled, shaking her head. "Not the book." She nodded at the book. "You notice anything weird about it?"

Piper turned it over in her hands, flipping through the pages. "No… not –" she stopped short as her hand thumb ran across the back cover's inner lining and noticed a lump. She shot a look at Prue, who raised her eyebrows knowingly. After fiddling with the book's lining she found the pocket that had been created years earlier and cautiously slipped a couple fingers inside.

As she withdrew the contents Prue smiled wistfully. "Before we erased our memories, I excused myself while you got Leo to dust us."

Piper slid out the photos, only slightly weathered by the six years they'd spent forgotten in the book. "Oh, Prue…" she smiled ruefully. "I saw that you took them at the dinner table. And this is lovely, but, the danger to the timeline. It's a little risky just to -"

Prue waved her off. "No. No. No damage to the timeline. One way or another, they weren't around. But that's not totally the point. Flip the one of me over."

Piper did as told, as Phoebe and Paige crowded in behind her, and began to read. "To my sisters…" As all three read the note they reacted in their own ways. Piper smiled bitter sweetly, Phoebe rested her head on Piper's shoulder, and Paige nodded as she read, studying her two living sisters for their response.

Piper blinked back her tears again. "Oh, Prue. I wish we had found this sooner…"

"Me too, sis," she sighed. "But, now I not only believe in what I said there – I know it. I was there. What's done is done. I just hope you can enjoy them now, anyway."

"Oh, I know exactly which one is getting its own space on the stairwell, as soon as I can get it framed," replied Piper. "And one other picture."

Prue and her other two sisters looked at Piper quizzically. Paige was the first to figure it out and immediately called out. "Camera!" An expensive looking digital camera materialized into her hands a moment later.

Prue's eyes lit up as she saw the device. "Oooh! Is this one of those new high-def models?"

Phoebe nodded. "Piper and I picked it up just before Paige and Henry's wedding. I got the recommendation from the Mirror's staff photographer. It's the industry standard. Or so I'm told. You know I've never had a head for those things."

Prue rubbed her hands together. "May I?"

"Of course!" replied Paige, handing it over.

Prue turned the camera around in her hands, examining it, before she turned it on and held it up, checking out the picture. "God, look at this!" She shook her head wistfully. "Okay, seeing you guys aside – now I know why the Elders don't allow us to watch more closely. This thing makes my old digital camera look archaic! Being up there is like living the rest of your life, or afterlife anyway, in Amish country." She smiled as she shut it off and looked back up. "Pretty soon I'm gonna be like Melinda Warren and thinking zippers are magic!"

Piper raised an eyebrow. "I hardly believe _that_. I'm sure if I handed you an iPhone you'd pick it up like that."

Prue scrunched her nose. "A what-phone?"

"Now where did we hear that before?" Phoebe chuckled. "It's just a fancy cell phone. Latest thing."

"I think I see what you mean, though," added Piper, her tone changing as the true implications of her sister, frozen in youth and time, in the afterlife would mean as the years progressed.

"Hey there," said Prue, giving Piper's shoulder a squeeze. "Like I said, I've accepted it. It's not all bad… as long as you let me play with your Buck Rogers gadgets when I visit, anyway. I remember you weren't so good at sharing when we were kids," she finished with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood.

"I still say you stole it," rejoined Piper with a twinkle in her eye.

"Brat!" Prue elbowed her younger sister in the ribs at this. "So I'm assuming you're wanting to finally take a real, complete, sister photo?"

Piper nodded and turned to her husband. "Leo, could you?"

Leo smiled warmly at this. "Of course." The four sisters gravitated together, the attic's stained glass window as a backdrop behind them. "Say cheese…"

"Charmed!" exclaimed all four in unison, and broke out laughing.

As the mirth died down Prue put her hands on her hips. "Well, I'm only allowed to be here until this time tomorrow, and we've got some serious catching up to do." She turned to Phoebe, linking elbows with her little sister and tugging her to her side. "So how about we start by having you introduce me to this hunk back here. You're Coop, right?"

He laughed. "Yes, ma'am," he replied with a laugh. "I hope I meet with your approval – I know how protective older sisters can be."

"Straight and to the point." She narrowed her eyes. "I like that!" she added lightly.

"How about we go down to the living room and we can tell you everything. And maybe you can tell us about all those heaven-break attempts?" said Piper.

Prue nodded. "Sounds wonderful. Just please, tell me one thing…"

Piper shrugged, her mouth open as she wasn't sure how to answer that. "Uh, sure... what?"

"Please tell me you're still keeping the Manor well stocked in coffee – the stuff 'up there' just isn't the same!"

Everyone shared a laugh this. "Are you kidding, Prue? I'm a mother of two, club owner, and Charmed One," answered Piper. "I think more coffee than blood may be flowing through my veins these days!"

"Then that's the second thing I've gotta do – right after I meet the two most adorable nephews ever!" She tugged Paige to her other side and they made their way for the door, following behind Piper. "So, little sis… are you a java fiend as well?"

Paige gave Prue a sidelong glance. "I'm a Halliwell, aren't I?"

"Just making sure you haven't been a warlock in disguise this whole time!" rejoined Prue with a smirk. "Now, tell me about this Henry. I've always had a thing for a guy with a badge…"

Patty and Penny Halliwell watched from the heavens as the voices of all four Halliwell sisters drifted down the hall, and lasted through the night, finally filling the Manor with all four sister's voices as both women had always dreamed of.


	30. Wishes Worth Saving

**Author's Note: **Well, this is most definitely the end. Thanks for finishing the journey with me and let me know what you thought! Keep an eye out for the conclusion my other Charmed stories, and hopefully soon, a new one. I'll also be wrapping up my Mass Effect and Fable 2 stories next, for those who have read those as well.

* * *

**Chapter 29: Wishes Worth Saving**

Chris eyelids fluttered as the unexpected flash of light cleared from his vision. Everyone was gone and the attic was looking far more familiar than it had just moments before. He turned around, and was pleasantly surprised to see his brother standing in the middle of the room looking healthy, and more importantly, young, straightening his button-up shirt and the lapels of his jacket. His Aunt Paige, one who wore her hair restrained in a stylish, but sensible fashion, and carried herself with the aplomb of someone who had mentored many younger magical beings, regarded Chris with a knowing twinkle in her eye.

"Not to sound ungrateful, but where did you just get back from?" asked Wyatt.

"The past," answered Paige matter-of-factly. "1982, to be exact."

"Again?" Wyatt blurted out incredulously. "Why does he always get to go back?"

Chris crossed his arms and gave his older brother a self-satisfied smirk. "It's like I've said before, bro. The reason they say you're twice-blessed isn't 'cause Dad was a whitelighter and Mom a Charmed One. It's because of that _and_ the fact that you have me to travel through time saving your butt over and over again. I know you're a little slow, but do try and retain do try and retain some information in that egg-shaped skull of yours."

Wyatt narrowed his eyes at Chris, a look that his family had always said was a mirror for his Aunt Prue, before cracking a devious grin. "You're lucky Mom made me promise to never orb you off into Davey Jones locker again."

"Love you too," answered Chris with a roll of his eyes. He then turned to Paige. "So, I'm guessing that everything went according to plan, and that's why I'm back here?" She nodded. "But why didn't you just tell me what was going on when you gave me that spell to go to the past? Wouldn't that have saved everyone a lot of time?"

"You of all people should know, altering one thing, no matter how small, can change things in ways we don't want. My teenage self giving the totem to Piper, Prue, Phoebe, and Grams, for instance, wouldn't have happened if you didn't go back. All we knew when you showed up is what you told us. That I sent you, and that you and Wyatt found that cursed talisman in the attic. I don't think your Mom knew that today was _that_ day when she asked you two to straighten the attic up. I know I didn't realize it until I saw you pick up Leo's old hope chest."

"And that's why you knew to go for the freezing potion," replied, realizing that she'd pieced together a plan of action when Wyatt had been struck down preternaturally quickly, even for her. "So you've known this would happen for like, twenty years, and Aunt Phoebe never slipped?"

"A miracle, right?" replied Paige with a laugh. "I'm not just blowing smoke when I tell you boys that magic may work in mysterious ways-"

"But it always works," both young men intoned back at her, in unison, their tone making it clear they'd heard that gem more times than they could count.

Paige put her hands on her hips and gave Chris a fake scowl. "Don't you give me lip about sounding like a broken record mister 'future consequences'. Now c'mon downstairs with me."

"Curse or no curse, I don't think Mom is going to be too happy if we don't finish this spring cleaning today," said Wyatt.

Paige waved off her nephew's concern. "Not today – besides, I want to get this over with."

"Get what over with?" asked Wyatt.

"We may have made a little wager about what date this all would happen. We knew the year, so…"

Chris furrowed his brow. "What a minute – who is 'we'?"

Paige shrugged innocently. "Oh, you know…. Me, Phoebe, Piper, Prue…"

Chris' mouth dropped open. "You _bet_ on when I'd be sent off on a life or death mission?"

"Oh, relax," replied Paige, shaking her head. "We knew you'd be okay! Anyway, it looks like we'll be doing a little summoning, since your Aunt Prue had this month down as when it would happen. And you know Piper is gonna have all our hides if she doesn't get enough notice to call in her assistant manager and get the night off."

Chris and Wyatt both offered knowing shrugs in agreement and Paige turned, heading for the stairs. Chris followed immediately, but Wyatt paused as a step. "Wait – Chris… you went back to 1982?" Chris stopped and nodded. "And you saw Mom and the Aunts as little kids?"

"Riiiight…" replied Chris impatiently.

"Please tell me you recorded something embarrassing – like Aunt Phoebe throwing a tantrum!"

"Yeah, right. Because I totally wouldn't raise their suspicions by pointing a little black rectangular device at them. Smart phones weren't invented for, like, another twenty years!" Chris turned back around, as did Paige, and started towards the stairs again.

Wyatt jogged the couple steps it took to catch up to them. "Man, it can't hurt to ask. It's not fair – you get all the fun! The least you can do is catch a little video… I can feel it," he threw up his hands in playful frustration. "How can I build a proper argument for any of my youthful indiscretions if I don't have a little dirt on what they did when they were my age if I never get to travel to the past?" He sighed melodramatically.

"Who says you haven't?" offered Paige over her shoulder before rounding the corner that led downstairs.

Wyatt's head shot up at this. "Wait – what? You're just teasing, right? Aunt Paige?" he called after her.

Chris rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Be careful what you wish for, Wy…." he said, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Trust me on that one."

**THE END**


End file.
